


Daryl, Hallie and Jose'

by Aownr1669



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:22:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aownr1669/pseuds/Aownr1669
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-Outbreak story of what happens when Daryl meets a girl at a bar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daryl, Hallie and Jose'

Chapter 1

Hallie stirred and tried to roll over, her legs tangled in the sheets. Fuck, she thought. Her head felt like a lead balloon. It throbbed, a pounding ache running from the back of her skull around and up the sides to her temples. Her stomach felt queasy. Her teeth ached. Even her hair hurt. She was also tender in a couple other places that were not usually tender with JUST a hangover. Oh, fuck me, she thought.

When she opened her eyes, the dim light coming through the bedroom window made her head throb even harder and confirmed her suspicions. The snoring sound from the other side of the bed was not the television. It wasn't a dog. She didn't even own a dog, damn it. She became keenly aware that she was naked, the coolness of the sheet would have felt good against her skin were it not for the drums in her head and the fire in her stomach...and the ache, well, down "there." Those were nothing, however, when she compared it to the sting of embarrassment and shame as she also became keenly aware that she was not alone in her king-size bed.

She turned her head slowly, trying to see who was laying next to her without waking them up. Please let it be Kelly or Tracey or...any one of her other girlfriends. Please let me have spilled a beer down my shirt or thrown up or something just as stupid and let us have been both so drunk that I passed out in the shower. Please, please, please don't let this be a guy. Please, not a guy, she prayed to herself. At this point, the possibility of the a webcam-broadcast lesbian encounter with her boss and a German shepherd would be more desirable than to wake up to a strange guy in her bed...and she KNEW she wasn't attracted to girls...or dogs. Besides. Her boss was a guy...and still in the closet. But she knew, she just knew. Fuck me, she whispered.

Well, now what the fuck do I do? She thought, looking a the muscular guy laying next to her. Think think think, she told herself. Who is this guy? What's his name? Where did he come from? What happened last night? Did we...oh, god, we did, she said, squeezing her thighs together a little, oh, buddy, did we ever, she thought, almost wincing.

The sleeping man had his back to her, the sheet wrapped around his waist, over his hip and then over hers and under her ass, in effect, binding them together. Hallie could see his back, two tattoos stacked on his right side near his shoulder blade. He was muscular, with thick arms and wide shoulders. His close-cropped hair was matted and messy, dark in this light but probably medium brownish. He smelled like a mixture of cigarettes, liquor, sweat and...sex. She couldn't see his face and she started to panic, breathing a bit faster, her heart racing in her chest. Fuck fuck fuck! What did you do, she screamed at herself inside her pounding head. You don't even know this guy! What stupid things did you do? Hallie, WHAT have you DONE?

The sleeping form stirred and rolled over, facing her, throwing a leg over hers and pulling her in to him, his hand closing in on her breast, fingers rough against her soft skin. She looked up caught the faintest hint of a smile on his slightly-familiar face. Recognition. He was a drop-in at the bar she and her friends frequented. Not there enough to be considered a regular, but there occasionally. She'd never spoken to him directly, a nod once, maybe a 'scuse me' as they almost bumped into each other coming out of the restroom, but that was it. Ok, she let her breath out slowly, at least you recognize him.

He was handsome, in a rugged way, the sharp angles of his face softened by a slight goatee and now, covered with stubble all over. He had a mole near the corner of his upper lip. Hallie's hear skipped a beat as his hand flexed and he inhaled deeply. "Mmmmmm." he said moaned softly, still asleep. Hallie stopped breathing at that point. Oh God, oh God, oh God, her brain screamed. She willed herself not to blink. His hand moved again, his thumb brushing across her nipple. At that point, her body betrayed her and her nipple stiffened at his touch. No, she thought. What's his name? WHAT'S HIS NAME? her brain demanded. At that point, his eyes flew open. His hand didn't move a bit, but he opened his eyes wide, looking at her as she looked right into his face.

His eyes widened further and then he blinked. He became suddenly aware of the location of his hand and his face flushed uncontrollably. He licked his dry lips and cleared his throat, his eyes never leaving Hallie's. "Hey." he said softly. "You ok?"

"Uhm, yeah. You?" she said, keenly aware that he hadn't moved his hand an inch still.

He shook his head no slightly. Hallie returned his gaze. His eyes were crystal blue, the fact that they were slightly bloodshot made them appear even more striking. Oh, fuck, Hallie thought, no wonder I ended up here. She had always been a sucker for blue-eyed men. "Coffee." she said half-whispered. It was more of a statement than a suggestion.

"Yeah." he said, without blinking. "Or just shoot me." He looked deeply into her eyes. They were the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. Deep olive green with gold and light blue flecks. Her lashes were long and dark. Her skin was pale and clear, with a slight blush across her cheeks.

"You too?" she smiled a bit. He still hadn't moved his hand. He noticed that the corners of her eyes crinkled a bit when she smiled. "I feel like I've been hit by a train." They just laid there for a couple minutes, looking eye to eye. Not moving. Not saying anything. Both of them trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle that was the previous night. Hallie kept looking into his eyes and losing her train of thought. Her heart was pounding rapidly now, so loud she was sure he could hear it. "I...I..." she said slowly, stumbling for words to fill the silence. "Tylenol's in the kitchen. I'll make coffee."

"Ok." he said quietly. He removed his hand and blushed. "Sorry." he said.

Hallie sat up and tried to pull the loose sheet around her to cover herself. She was obviously very uncomfortable. He raised his hips off the bed long enough for her to tug out the sheet, her hands shaking. A hand gently grabbed above her elbow. The blonde man sat up, stopping her exit long enough to brush her long hair behind her and kiss her shoulder softly. Hallie stopped and turned, looking at him. Without thinking, she smiled at his tender gesture and left the bed. He laid back on the pillows and covered his eyes with face with both hands.

Hallie went to the bathroom and made a brief inspection of herself while she peed. No bruises, no bite marks, no hickeys she could see. Everything still where it should be. Well, that was a relief. She washed up quickly and ran a brush quickly through her long hair, trying to get some of the tangles out. Standing on her tiptoes, she looked at her face in the mirror over the sink. Her normally pale skin was flushed. She wiped up the mascara smudges from under her lower lashes. She looked down her neck. Oh, fuck, she thought. At the base of her neck, where it met her shoulder, was a large purple mark. Ok. Breathe. It could be worse. You can hide this, she reassured herself.

Throwing on a robe, she opened the door from the bathroom to the kitchen and began mechanically to make a pot of coffee. She reached into the cabinet and removed the bottle of Tylenol, gulping down two tablets herself before setting it on the table. She leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, crossing her arms and squeezing them, as if trying to hug herself, reassure herself.

Brief images flashed across the screen behind her hot eyelids. Tequila bottle. Lime slices. Salt shakers. Giggling. Pool cues. The sound of billiard balls clicking. Leaning over the pool table, his body pressing against her, behind her, close. He breath hot on her neck. His hands on her hips, lifting her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Hot, wet kisses with heavy tongues, parting, probing, seeking. Wrapping, twisting, twirling, moving down her neck slowly, stopping just above her collarbone, sucking, biting. Hands everywhere. Clothes everywhere. Cold sheets and warm body parts.

Hallie felt an uncontrollable warmth spreading up, moving towards her stomach slowly, like a wildfire fanned by a slow, steady breeze. Holy shit, she thought, what am I doing? She opened her eyes, hearing the far bathroom door close. Panic set it. What do I do? What do I say? She heard the toilet flush and the sink water turn on and off. The bathroom door opened slowly and he entered the kitchen, cautiously.

Daryl walked in and looked around. He'd found his shirt on the back of a chair in the bedroom and his pants at the foot of the bed. He wasn't able to find his boots, but he figured they were probably by the front door. She was startled by how tall he was-at least a foot taller than she was. He moved with quiet grace, stealth. Like a hunter moving through the forest. His feet seemed not to make a sound on the polished wood floor.

"Almost done." she said, her voice dry. She moved to the drainer for two clean coffee mugs. "You want something to eat?"

"No. Thanks." he said, moving to the table and pulling out a chair.

"I...uhm..." Hallie stammered as the pot shot up a final burst of steam towards the ceiling, giving up it's last bit of the scorching liquid with a final loud gurgle, punctuated by a loud hiccup. She poured him a cup and sat it down in front of him. She returned and poured one for herself and leaned back against the cupboard.

"Thanks." he said, looking up at her sheepishly.

"Thanks, Hallie." she said, looking into the blue stoneware cup to avoid his even-bluer eyes. "You're welcome."

"You're welcome, Daryl." he said, blowing on the steam rising from the mug.

Well, that was pretty cool, the thought, she was trying to take the pressure off of neither one of them remembering the other's name.  
He looked at her closely. She was tiny-probably no more than five foot tall. Her hair was dark red, long tousled curls framed her pale face. The thin robe was tied with a belt and he could see she was curvy in the right places, with nice boobs and a round ass. He vaguely remembered the feel of that ass in his hands. Perfect, he thought. Don't blow this, his mind screamed. Don't fuck this up.

"You probably wanna talk." he said, afraid of what she was going to say.

"Not really." she said quietly, crossing the kitchen and scooting into the chair opposite him. "I'm just really...I...uhm...oh, fuck!" she said, rolling her eyes.  
This girl just said fuck! Holy shit! he thought. He watched her put her head down and blush broadly. He sat there, allowing her to pull her thoughts together.  
"I'm just...embarrassed. I don't do this." she waved a hand between the two of them. "This just isn't me." she said quietly. "Please don't take this personally, but I don't remember a lot about last night. About...what we...you and me..." her cheek were red through the dark curls. "I think I was really, really drunk." She reached a hand up and with her thumb and middle finger scooped her hair backwards from her hairline to the crown of her head, clearing the locks that were hanging down in front hiding her pretty face. She looked directly at him. "How drunk were you?" she said plainly.

"Pretty damn." he nodded, looking at his cup.

"Is this as awkward for you as it is for me?" she asked, her eyes searching his now.

"Yeah." he smiled and looked up at her, his head still down. " 'pparently neither one of us is used ta' bein' a slut."  
Hallie looked at him, her mouth dropping open. She blinked twice and then clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the screech of her laughter.  
Daryl watched her, fascinated. He remembered seeing her in Pete's Bar often and thought she was cute, but never really gave a second thought to striking up a conversation, let alone asking her for her number. He just didn't have time or patience for a lot of women. She was always with a group of other women, but he remembered her standing out. Maybe it was her height, maybe it was her dark hair and those deep green eyes against her pale skin, maybe it was because she seemed so...different than the other girls she was with. More serious. Not as rowdy. Definitely not as...easy.

"Now I know why you came home with me." she said pointing her finger at him, still smiling. "I'll be you made me laugh, didn't you?"

"Oh. Yeah. I made you laugh." he grinned. "Several times." he said, blowing again on his coffee, a twinkle in his eye.

 

Chapter 2

Daryl didn't want any breakfast either, thank goodness. The thought of food made her stomach churn even after two cups of coffee in the kitchen with him. They sat at the table not even trying to pretend that they weren't uncomfortable. Daryl didn't know what to say. Neither did Hallie. So they said pretty much nothing for a long time.

Hallie rose and offered to refill his cup. She sat the carafe down with a clink and sat back down. "Lookit. I gotta be honest. You need to tell me everything you can remember because I can't remember shit." Daryl marveled. There she goes again, cussing. He fought back a smile, trying to remind himself that this was just a hook-up and he really had no business liking her.

"Can't 'member a lot neither." he said slowly. "Your friend came over an' told me ya' liked me but was 'fraid ta' talk ta' me. I bought ya' a drink. You came over ta' thank me. They all came over an' sat down. We all started doin' shots an' playin' pool. That's where it starts gettin' fuzzy." Daryl tried not to show his embarrassment. Hallie may have been more forthcoming with her own lack of history with one-night-stands but Daryl was not about to admit it his own inexperience.

"Do you remember much of...uhm..." her voice trailed off and she looked away, around, up at the ceiling, her face flushing again.

"Yup." he said, knowing full well what she meant. He let her hang. He sure DID remember it. That was the one part he could remember clearly. The way she felt under him. On top of him. Next to him. Her smooth skin, the way she smelled of sugar and cinnamon and leather and wood smoke. The silky softness of her hair as he ran his hands through it, over and over as they kissed. How hot her skin felt against him. How she moved against him. How she gripped the rails of the massive wooden headboard and arched her back. How she moaned his name as they both edged closer to...

"Daryl." her voice broke his thoughts "Yup?" she frowned.

"Yup." he said, nodding his head. He looked at her and caught her gaze for several seconds, fighting back the smile. A little bit won, the corner of his mouth curling just the slightest. Hallie got the message.

"Oh God." she said quietly, standing and going to the sink to pour out the rest of her coffee. "So." she said, turning around slowly, her face going from bright red to pale. "Now what?"

"Now I leave." he said flatly, standing. He brought the mug to the sink and held it out. "Thanks." he said, looking down at her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. He walked towards the kitchen door and turned back around when he reached it. "Ya' got 'nothin' ta' be 'mbarassed 'bout."

Hallie watched, her mouth open, as he exited the kitchen and walked through the living room, closing the front door behind him. She stood on her tiptoes to watch through the kitchen window as he walked down to the his pickup, his boots now in his hand. She still wasn't sure how they managed to make it home in one piece. She was ashamed of that fact probably more than anything else. How stupid and reckless. She watched as the truck backed up down the drive and disappeared.

Well, she thought to herself, I hope you're proud. First time you've been laid in a year and you can't even remember it. She turned towards the bathroom to take a long, hot shower. "Fucking Jose Cuervo." she said out loud.

 

Hallie laid in bed, her head still throbbing. She'd managed to choke down half a can of Spaghetti-o's, her own personal favorite form of comfort food, and some Mountain Dew. She had tried watching some television but there was nothing on of any interest and frankly the noise and the lights made her headache worse. 

She closed her eyes to try to nap but when she did, snippets of the night before ran through her mind. She picked up the phone and dialed Kelly, her closest friend. If anybody had the scoop, it would be her. This was probably all her idea to start with.

"Kels? What the fuck did I do last night?" she said, without saying hello.

"You had a great time, that's what the fuck you did!" Kelly said loudly. "How was Daryl? Is he still there? Did you guys do it? Tell me everything you did. Give me all the details" she said breathlessly.

"Shut it!" Hallie said, annoyed. "You aren't getting any details because I can't fucking remember any details. I called YOU so you could tell ME!"  
The woman on the other end began laughing. "Oh, Girl, let me tell you..."

Hallie listened without saying much. Some of the bits and pieces she was able to remember began falling into place slowly. Much, however, was still a blur, especially after they left Pete's. Basically what Daryl had told her was accurate. Her friends had gotten them together and they all were drinking and then Hallie and Daryl left together.

"Did I do anything really embarrassing while we were at Pete's?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Not anything the rest of us weren't doing. But you were pretty friendly with Daryl. It was cute. You guys couldn't keep your hands off of each other." Kelly giggled. "But no, you two did not have sex on the pool table, if that's what you're worried about."

"Thank god." Hallie whispered. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Kelly said. "You dance good when you're drunk."

"FUCK! What do you mean I dance GOOD?" Hallie almost was screaming. "What did I do? Kelly, fuck, what did I DOOOO?" her voice thin and high now as she panicked.

"Relax, we were all dancing. You were just having a good time. We were all having a good time. Nobody thought a thing about it. It was just...nice to see you cut loose. I think Daryl liked it a lot too."

"What? I danced with him?"

"Not exactly. More like you danced...FOR him."

"Oh shit." Hallie croaked. "Was it bad?"

"No, I'd say he probably thought it was pretty good."

"What did I do, exactly?" she whispered.

"Relax. You were just dancing. You were NOT rubbing all over him or humping his leg. You kept your clothes on. I think it was a Zepplin song."

A brief memory flashed through Hallie's mind. "Kashmir." she said quietly. "That song makes me nuts even without tequila." she admitted. "Oh, fuck. What did I do, really, will I be able to show my face at Pete's ever again?"

"Will you fucking chill?" Kelly laughed. "You are soooo paranoid somebody's gonna' think something bad about you. Jesus! You had a good time. You danced. You played pool. You got drunk. You met a guy and you hooked up. Happens every night of the week and Hallie, newsflash, people live through it. Sometimes they even do it again! Repeatedly!"

"So I wasn't out of control?"

"No!"

"I didn't embarrass myself in public?"

"NO!" Kelly shouted. "Really, I have done much worse with much less alchohol. I've done worse with NO alcohol, come to think of it! In fact, you've seen me do it. Will you get over yourself, you big prude?"

"Ok. Thanks, I think. I'm just so-""Yah, EMBARRASSED, I know" Kelly teased.

"Ok. See you tomorrow. Hey Kel?"

"Yah?"

"Thanks. I think Daryl was nice. At least he was when he left this morning.""Aaannnnddd?"

"Judging by how I, ahem, feel this morning, I think we had a really good time."

"That's ma' girl!" Kelly laughed and hung up the receiver.

 

Chapter 3

Hallie occupied herself with work for the next few weeks. She avoided going out with the rest of her girl friends and definitely avoided Pete's Bar. She continued to be embarrassed about what Kelly began referring to as "The Cuervo Incident" and continued to remember only bits and pieces. She was thankful that she hadn't heard from him, which would only have added further to her embarrassment. Hallie reminded herself that he may not have gotten her phone number but he knew where she lived and if he'd wanted to see her again, he damn sure could have just driven over. She caught herself vacillating between being disappointed and relieved.

"So, what do you think?" Kelly said. "Are you coming?"

"No."

"You can't avoid it forever."

"Watch me. From now on, work is my life. No more going out. I'm going to become a nun."

"Fat chance. " Kelly smirked. "I saw you and him kissing. You ain't never gonna be a nun."

"Fuck you!" Hallie squeaked. "I am not going." she said decidedly.

"Oh, yes you are. It's my birthday and you can't refuse me."

"Yes I can. I'll take you out for lunch. We'll go to Build-a-Bear. I'll buy you a fucking pony. But I am not going back to Pete's."

"Yes you are, or I'll tell everyone what you did." Kelly teased.

"You don't know what I did." Hallie narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Hell, I don't even know what I did!"

"That won't stop me from making up shit. I'll make up some really good shit, too. Kinky stuff that every body would say, naw, I don't believe it, but deep down they all really would because you know what they say about you quiet, shy girls."

"I'm NOT shy," Hallie protested. "and you so would not do that!"

"I so WOULD and I will if I don't see your ass on that bar stool tonight by 6:00." Kelly smirked. "I'll let you skip the tequila if you want." she added.

"I hate you, you know."

"No you don't. You love me..." her friend smiled, patting her on the arm. "...because you know that I know deep down, you want to see him again."

"Oh, no, I most certainly do NOT!" Hallie snorted. "Not ever. I wouldn't know what to say. Seriously. 'Oh, Hi Daryl. By the way, thanks for screwing me so hard I couldn't remember your name the next morning .' Yeah, that would be nothing but awkward!"

"See you tomorrow night." Kelly said, with a click of her phone.

 

Hallie walked into Pete's slowly, scoping out the parking lot for pick up trucks. There were none, which was a bit unusual, but the coast was clear. The Friday-night-after-work crowd was dwindling down and the the-weekend's-here-let's-party crowd was starting to arrive. She found her friends in the corner and a large round table and slid into the banquette to a chorus of ear-piercing squeals and greetings.

The girls chatted, gossiped and ordered bar food for a couple hours. Hallie declined any alcohol and stuck to her guns, despite a good deal of pressure from her friends. "No. " she said firmly. "I drove here. I'm not drinking. Diet Coke or I'm leaving." She scanned the bar several times and each time, let out her breath. So far so good. Kelly watched her and leaned over. "He ain't here yet."

"What do you mean 'yet'?" Hallie furrowed her brow. "You didn't do anything stupid, did you?"

"No, Silly." Kelly laughed, starting to feel the effects of a few too many free birthday beers. "I mean, just be patient. It's Friday night. He'll be here eventually."

Another hour passed and Hallie was starting to feel like a duck out of water with her partying friends. She walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. You just need to go home, she said in the mirror. As she exited the door and walked down the short hall to the bar area, she heard the jukebox kick in. "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy." She shook her head. Kelly's favorite song. Let the bad dancing begin, she smiled. She rounded the corner Hallie Jane McAllister came face to chest with Daryl Everett Dixon.

 

Daryl took a deep breath and walked into Pete's. He hadn't been there at all since the night he and Hallie met. He was hoping that she was there, but frankly, was knew he'd be at a loss as to what to say to her. He'd taken a lot of crap from his brother for wanting to see her again, but he couldn't help it. He kept thinking about her, about that night. He definitely wanted to see her again. "Move on, Dickweed." Merle had said. "She was just a piece a' ass. A good lay. That's all women r' good fer anyhow."

Daryl started to walk up to the bar and order, but he'd decided to hit the restroom before he started. He waved to a sort-of friend sitting at the end of the bar and headed down the hall to the johns. As he got to the hallway that contained the restrooms, he stopped dead in his tracks. She was here. He could smell her perfume. A split second later, Hallie rounded the corner.

Daryl's heart started to pound as he took her in. She was wearing a pair of straight-leg jeans and a deep purple sweater that hugged her body in all the right places. The neckline of the sweater was cut square in front and a bit low. He could see the rounded tops of her breasts as he looked down. He couldn't help but look down, she was so much shorter than him. The color of the sweater made her big green eyes stand out. Her long hair was down, a mass of reddish-brown curls spilling over her shoulders and down her back. One side was pinned back with a silver comb, making the curls fall in a cascade around her pale neck. He wished he was biting on that neck again. He took what he could catch of a deep breath and inhaled slowly. She smelled exactly as he remembered. Warm, soft, spicy, sweet. His nose had not deceived him.

Hallie put out her hand to avoid a collision with the person in front of her. As she said "Whoa. Sorry!" she raised her eyes upwards and saw Daryl. Her heart stopped. "Oh. Oh! Ahh. Uhm. Hey." she stuttered. "I didn't expect to...I mean...I..." she sighed at her complete lack of ability to put together a coherent sentence. 

"Fuck." she squeaked.

Daryl smiled. He realized that when Hallie was flustered, she cussed. "Hey." he said. "How are ya'?"

"Good. You?"

"Not bad. You here with somebody?" he asked. He knew the answer. He'd seen her friends at the corner table, rather, he'd HEARD her friends at the corner table. A rather wide middle-age woman came down the hall towards them and he pulled Hallie by the elbow off to the side, leaning against the wall to make a path.

"Just friends. It's Kelly's birthday and..."

"You drinkin'?" he grinned.

"God, no. They're making up for it, though." she smiled and nodded in the girls' direction. She realized that he still hadn't removed his hand from her elbow. "You here alone?"

"Yeah. Well, not now." he said, his words falling out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying and could pull them back in. He looked to see her reaction and saw Hallie press her lips together, trying to hide a smile.

"Um, then can I buy you a beer?" she said.

"One condition." he said, looking towards the now-rowdy table in the corner "We get a booth. Over there." He pointed to the corner furthest away from the commotion.

Hallie smiled. "You don't want to sit with my friends?"

Daryl grimaced. "No. Not for a long time." he said, squeezing her elbow and walking towards the men's room.

 

Hallie walked to the bar and motioned for Pete. "Bud Long Neck and another Diet Coke." she said.

Pete grinned. "You want me to start a tab"

Hallie narrowed her eyes as she grinned. "That's enough out of you." she said "Don't you have some glasses to polish or something?"

"No, I'll be too busy cutting up limes. You know. For later. When you start ordering the Cuervo."

Hallie threw down a five and picked up the bottle and the can in one hand. She turned, flipping her hair, and shot him the bird over her shoulder.  
Daryl sat down opposite her in the booth and picked up the bottle. He held out the neck towards Hallie and they clinked can and bottle together. Hallie looked at him and he was grinning. No, more like beaming.

"So, what have you been up to?" she said, leaning on her elbow, her chin resting on one hand.

"Work." he said. "Don't do much else. You?"

"Same thing. You work construction, right?" She was purely guessing at this point.

"Yeah. What is it you do?"

"Rummage sales."

"What?"

"Rummage sales. Auctions. Estate sales. Garage sales." She took a drink from the can. "You ever been to Cracker Barrel?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Who hasn't?"

"You know all that crap they have on their walls?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"That's my job. I work for the guy who owns the company that finds that crap and sells it to restaurants and bars to screw into their walls so you'll have something to talk about while you're waiting on your biscuits and gravy to arrive."

"No shit?"

"No shit. I get paid to go to garage sales. Cracker Barrel, T.G.I. Friday's, Lambert's. All kinds of places want all kinds of old crap...and I find it."

"Wow." he was speechless. "What kinda' degree ya' gotta' have ta' do that?" he was teasing now.

"I actually have a degree in history. But this is way more fun and pays a lot more than being a teacher. Plus, I get to shop for myself too. It's actually a pretty good job come to think of it."

"Sure beats mine." he said, unaware that he was rubbing the calluses on his fingers.

"Oh, no way. You get to be outside, in the sun, breeze blowing through your hair, doing stuff with your hands. building stuff. Creating. You get to see an actual SOMETHING when you're done. A finished project. You get a sense of completion."

"I get sunburned, stung by wasps an' get splinters," he laughed. "oh, yeah, an' rainy days off."

"Well, ok, you got me there." she giggled. Oh, you did not just giggle, the voice in her head said. Get a grip.

There was a pregnant pause that seemed like it went the full nine months.

"I, uhm, I thought about calling you." he said his head down, peeling the label from the bottle.

"You had my number?" she asked, draining the can.

"Yeah." he said, still with his head down. "I didn't think you wanted to talk, though."

"I probably would have been too embarrassed. I still am." she admitted. "Like I said, I've never done that before. I never thought I was that kind of a girl." she said.

"Yer' not." he looked up, his blue eyes so clear and deep it almost took her breath away. "I knew that from the get-go." he said. "Don't be embarrassed, ok?"

"What really pisses me off is that I don't remember much of it." she said, her voice in a whisper.

Daryl leaned forwards and put his hand on Hallie's. "Yes ya' do." he said. "Close yer' eyes."

"Daryl. Really."

"Close yer' eyes." he said again, rubbing his thumb across the soft part of her hand above her thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes and he continued to rub gently. "Just let yer'self remember." he said in a low voice.

Hallie closed her eyes as Daryl had asked and took a deep breath. Her hand was so hot. He thought for a second that it was shaking a bit. He continued to rub his thumb across the top of her hand, slowly stroking back and forth. She shut her eyes tighter and tried to relax. The butterflies in her stomach had now scattered to all parts of her body and there was a slow burn trying to catch all the butterflies. The room was heating up as Hallie tried to think back to that night.

Chapter 4

(Flashback)  
Hallie drained her third Corona in just a couple hours and set it down with a hollow thunk on the bare wooden table. She looked around the table at her friends who were staring intently at her.

"Fuck, I don't know. Let me see. " She stood up and rested her butt against the table edge, surveying the bar. She took a measured examination of the men in the room, table by table. None looked really interesting. She ran her eyes down the bar stools and got to the last one. Her eyes fell on a tall, muscular man slowly sucking on a bottle of Budweiser. He had short hair which framed his rugged, good-looking features. His shoulders were fairly broad and from the bar stool up, he looked good. Real good, Hallie thought. He snuffed out a cigarette and motioned for Pete to get him another bottle.

The man swiveled the stool around to face outwards and looked straight at her as if she'd called his name. Her hands gripped the table behind her unconsciously as her knees felt a little weak. Three beers was not her maximum but since she had been thirsty and pretty much gulped down the first one, it was probably a good thing the table was behind her.

He turned towards the bathroom hall but didn't take his eyes off of her. At the last second, before his neck twisted too painfully, she saw the corner of his mouth turn upwards in the faintest smile. Hallie's mouth fell open as she watched him walk slowly away. He was well-muscled, with strong legs and a nice, not-too-rounded butt. She gazed at his butt for a second and suddenly whirled back around to her companions at the table, her long hair flying out behind her, curls bouncing. She sat down and ducked her head. "Ok. Found one."

"Who?" Tracey asked, craning her neck. They were playing what had become a required game when the group was out together. An unofficial "Who here right now would you do?" census of the male patrons in the bar. Everyone was required to come up with one candidate. Hallie was always the last one to make her choice, being accused of being too picky all too often by her friends.

"The guy at the end of the bar who just left to go to the bathroom. He's been in here before. He's gone now. He would be the ONLY one here tonight."

"I don't see him! What's he look like?" Kelly said.

"He's gone to the bathroom. He'll be back. He's kinda' tall and...hot. Rugged. Sexy. Wish I was a bottle of Bud." Hallie said quietly. The table erupted with squeals and giggles. Hallie was not prone to scoping out men, nor making comments about their finer attributes, so the fact that she could come up with one tonight, let alone be so forthright in her comments, made her friends howl.

"I'll drink to THAT!" Kelly said and rose to tell Pete to get them another round.

 

Pete sat a bottle down in front of Hallie and grinned.

"We didn't order another round yet, Pedro. What's this?" she looked at him.

"Somebody bought you a beer." he said, as Kelly snickered and kicked Tracey under the table.

"Get the fuck outta' here!" Hallie said, disbelievingly. She was definitely not in need of another beer. "Who would do that?"

"That guy at the end of the bar. His name is Daryl. He bought you a beer." Pete said. "I'll drink it if you don't want it." he offered, joking, his hand moving towards the bottle of Corona sitting now in front of Hallie.

"No she wants it!" Kelly said, pushing Pete's hand away. "Trust me, she waaants it." she said, dragging out the word, as Tracey and Beth burst into a gale of   
laughter.

Hallie peered around Pete to try to see the guy at the end of the bar. His head was turned and he was taking another sip of Bud, the bottle to his lips. Oh, man,   
thought Hallie. She watched as a blonde walked up and said something to him, motioning to the empty stool next to him. He shook his head and said something back to her. She patted his arm and walked off. Daryl turned around and looked towards Hallie.

"Oh, fuck. It's him. I gotta say thank you, don't I? I have to go talk to him." she said to Kelly.

"Yes you do, Sweet Cheeks!" she said. "You wouldn't want to be RUDE, would you? Now get your ass over there and talk to him. He's hot. The blonde just tried to sit next to him and he wouldn't let her. I saw him. He's waiting for you. Now GO!" she said, slapping Hallie's thigh with a loud smack.

 

"Fuck shit." Hallie muttered. She picked up the now-sweating Corona bottle and walked slowly towards the end of the bar. She looked at her target. Nice Levi's. Button-down plaid shirt, no wrinkles, no snaps, thank God. No wallet on a chain. No cowboy boots, just clean leather work boots. The closer she got to him, the better he looked. Under the shirt she could see well-defined muscles. Ladies and Gentleman, we have a winner. She sat the bottle down on the bar next to him and cleared her throat.

"I think I may need to thank you." she said. He turned to face her and looked down, smiling. Hallie, run. Run far, run fast, the voice in her head warned as she looked into his eyes. They were the most beautiful, brilliant clear shade of deep blue she'd ever seen. Riveting. Take-me-drunk-I'm-home blue. Fall-into-bed-in-a-minute blue. Sex-without-protection blue. Fucking snap out of it, McAllister! her brain screamed. Her mouth went dry and her heart stopped as their eyes met.

"Have a seat." the voice said. It was smoky, masculine. Dripping sexy. Hallie climbed up to the empty barstool and swiveled just a hair in his direction. He ran a finger down his neck slowly, from his chin to his Adam's apple. It was at this exact point that Hallie knew she was toast. One simple gesture, unconscious on his part. She was absolutely a puddle of mush. He could have taken her on the bar with everybody watching and when he was done she would have said "Thank you sir, may I have another." She said a silent prayer that she had shaved this evening before going out and turned around and kicked herself for having that last beer that put her in the danger zone for behavior unbecoming her normal reserved self.

Hallie took a sip of the Corona to try to bring her voice back. "Pete tells me your name is Daryl. Thanks for the beer, Daryl." she said, pointing the neck at him.

"Yer' welcome." he said, his slow Georgia draw revealing he was a local. He clinked his bottle against hers and looked at her as he took a sip. "Yer' feet reach tha'   
floor there?" he grinned.

"Only when I'm standing up." she said. "I hate barstools the most." she smiled, her green eyes flashing. Jeezus, did this guy just ooze, she though as she continued to stare at him.

"Ya' got a name, Stretch?" he said, eyes twinkling.

"Oh, uhm, Hallie."

"Well, uhm Hallie, y'all celebratin' somethin' over there or just lettin' off steam?"

"The latter. It's been a long week." she said, rolling the Corona bottle between her hands.

"Ain't that jes' tha' truth!" he laughed. "Nice weather, though." Did I just mention the weather, he thought, mentally slapping himself. You idiot!

"Yeah, I like fall the best. Not so damn hot anymore, humidity backs down, it's just nice." she agreed. They continued to chat for a while, finishing their beers and Hallie buying the next round. They found out they both liked playing pool and agreed that the next table open would be theirs.

Daryl was fascinated by the girl on the bar stool beside him. She was tiny, cute, funny, smart. Her feet really didn't touch the floor but her hair fell almost to the bar stool seat. She had the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. Her skin was smooth and clear. Between the green eyes, the pale skin, and the dark red hair, he was pretty sure there Irish somewhere in the family tree, and a lot of it. She laughed easily and touched his arm or his hand when she did. She also looked him straight in the eye when she spoke to him. Daryl wasn't used to that. It made him feel like he was the only guy in the room. He liked that. A lot.

They had started to move to a pool table and one of the girls she'd been with came up to them and said that it was time for them to join the group. Hallie protested a bit but Stacey insisted. There were a couple other guys sitting with them now and they were close to the pool tables, so it was inescapable, Daryl thought. Hallie and Daryl played a couple games of pool by themselves and joined the others.

Kelly had decided that shots were necessary. By this time, Hallie and Daryl each had both drank more than was usual and joined in as limes and salt were distributed, along with shot glasses full of tequila. They continued this pattern of playing a game or two of pool and rejoining the group for shots for a couple more hours until the pool became a reason to escape the racket at the table. Hallie and Daryl were now both past the tipsy point. They were to the teasing stage, the conversation just inching to the edge of the envelope that was what they both were thinking, but never going quite going far enough to discuss sex outright.  
Hallie leaned over the table to line up her shot and Daryl moved behind her.

"Woman, you're never gonna make it from this angle." he said, bending over and whispering in her ear.

"Really. I was thinking you would like this angle." She said, turning her neck and smiling.

"I do, I surely do, but jus' not fer' pool." he growled, moving her hair aside and kissing her neck. Electricity shot through Hallie as his lips moved slowly up the side of her neck towards her ear. Hallie put a vice grip on the pool cue and her hand on the railing of the table to steady herself until he was finished. Oh my Lord, she thought. I swear, right here. Right here on the pool table if he doesn't stop.

"Daryl Dixon, you cannot expect me to make this shot with your lips attached to me." she said, putting down her cue and turning around. When she turned around, Daryl stepped up closer and pinned her between his thighs and the edge of the pool table, slipping his hands around her waist. He gazed at her and leaned in, kissing her on the lips, slowly at first, then more intense as she moaned into his mouth a little, opening hers just a bit. Hallie had her eyes closed and she was seeing stars. She put her hands on his chest and pushed back a little to try to break the kiss so she could breathe.

"I think we're done playing pool." she said, opening her eyes slowly. Daryl was grinning now, his hands still around her waist.

"Yeah. May wanna' sit down now." he said slowly, still grinning.

They sat with the group, Daryl's chair touching Hallie's, their thighs touching, his arm around the back of the chair. At some time during the evening, it went around her shoulder, played with her hair, rubbed the back of her neck. More tequila was ordered, or as Kelly would shout out, "Hey Pete, mas tequila por favor."

Daryl took the slice of lime out of his mouth and looked at Hallie. She was looking at him, her eyes wide, biting her lower lip slowly. He leaned in and brushed her lip with his thumb.

"I...have...to...pee." he said slowly, deliberately, as if willing himself to rise.

Hallie giggled. "Then I think you should go to the little boys' room." she said. "Do you remember how to get there?" she teased.

"Think so. Wanna come with me? Give me a hand?" he grinned.

She punched his arm hard. "No, I'm not going to hold it while you pee, but I will walk you as far as the juke box. We need some decent music around here." she said.

 

Hallie looked at the selections and dropped six in quarters. The first selection was her favorite. "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. She was always a bit surprised to find it hadn't been replaced by something newer, more country. The machine whirred and made mechanical noises and the bar was filled with booming guitar. Hallie sighed and began moving with the music, perusing the remaining selections. The next pick was for Daryl, whom she had correctly pegged for a Skynyrd man. As the Zeppelin tune played, Hallie continued to move, her hips making circles, figure eights, gliding, dipping to the steady beat laid down by Page and Plant. She pushed the button for an old Marshal Tucker Band tune and moved both her hands to the top of her head, fists clenched, hips continuing to sway suggestively.

Daryl walked out of the bathroom as a guy in a brown cowboy hat walked in, whistling, and said "Damn!" appreciatively. He rounded the corner and looked to the juke box, stopping dead in his tracks. He watched Hallie move, her eyes closed, her hands raised, moving through her hair, her hips and butt moving slowly with the music. She wasn't dancing for anybody else in the room, even him, just for herself. He continued to watch for another minute. The whistling guy came out of the bathroom and stopped, both of them standing in the doorway watching Hallie sway. Daryl suddenly became very uncomfortable realizing that if he was appreciating her, other guys surely were as well.

"Think it's time ta' take her home." Daryl said, trying to let the other man know that she was not on the market. He started to move towards the jukebox.

"Lucky bastard!" the guy said, raising his forefinger to his hat, but Daryl didn't hear. All he could do was watch Hallie's butt, mesmerized. He walked up to her and put both hands on either side of the front of the jukebox, leaning in. Her hips moved back before she realized anyone was behind her, brushing against his crotch. She turned quickly, surprised, and realized she had been dancing. Her face turned beet red and she put her hands on his chest to steady herself.

"Fuck. Was I dancing?" she said quietly.

"If by dancin' ya mean givin' every guy in here a boner, yeah." he moved her back against the jukebox. "Think it's time ta' get outta here?"

"Daryl, I'm sorry. Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize, I...I just love that song."

"Don't 'pologize ta' me. Apologize ta' the rest a' tha' guys who ain't gonna get ta' do this." he growled. Daryl picked her up by the waist and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her to him. The juke box skipped as he bumped it. Hallie wrapped a leg around his hip and kissed Daryl hard on the lips, her hands gripping his head, moving through his hair. Daryl could feel her breathing faster as they kissed. He was praying that she couldn't feel how excited he'd become watching her and now kissing her. He knew that he needed to take a minute before he turned away from the jukebox.

Kelly looked toward the jukebox and dropped the salt shaker on the table with a clunk, watching Hallie and Daryl at the pool table "Holy fuck!" she laughed and smacked Tracey on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Wow!" Tracey shouted. "Looks like I won't need to drive her home tonight." she said, shaking her head. "I've never seen her like this with a guy before."

Daryl pulled away slightly when the Skynnrd song came on. "Think' we outta be gettin' out of here." he said again. This time it wasn't a question.

"Ok." Hallie said, her eyes still closed. "I'd like that. My place." she said. She opened her eyes, her legs still wrapped around him. "It's kinda' close, but I am in no shape to drive." she warned.

"Think I can." he said as he loosened his grip and she slid down, putting her feet on the floor. "Jes' not sure about walkin' right this second, though." he said with a grin.

Chapter 5

Hallie stuck her key in the front door and turned around before she unlocked it. She looked at him in the dim light that filtered through the trees from the street light. She could see his eyes burning as he looked at her. He leaned in and kissed her neck, pulling at the tender skin at the base near her shoulder. They were both pretty hammered but she was lucid enough to know she was in trouble with this guy. She knew that if she proceeded much further she'd be in dangerous territory. Not just casual sex. Hell, that might be nice. It HAD been a very long time. No, she knew this guy made her feel something in the pit of her stomach that she'd not felt in a long time.

"Daryl. Stop. Wait." she said.

His heart sank. Oh, fuck, she's not changing her mind. Please, God, don't do this. Please don't let her tell me she can't let me in now. His mind raced. He pulled back and looked at her, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"I want you to know something." she said.

"You got a kid?" he asked hesitantly.

"No."

"You got a cat?" he asked.

"No." she chuckled.

"You got a lot a' cats?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No. No kids. No cats. No pets. No psycho ex-husband. Just me." she assured him. "I just want you to understand that I just don't do this all the time."

"Do what?" Daryl was now a bit confused. Umpteen beers and shots of tequila added to the confusion.

"I don't drag home strange men I meet in bars. Ever." she said, leaning against the door.

"So I'm yer' first strange man? What tha' hell 'm I doin' here then?" he laughed, pulling her to him.

Hallie's willpower gave way when she felt his arms around her. "I don't know what I'M doing, but you're definitely coming in." she said, stretching to put her arms around his neck. Daryl reached around her and turned the key and the pair half-fell inside as the door swung open.

Daryl growled, kicking the door shut with his foot, his mouth moving to hers, crushing, bruising her lips with hungry kisses. Hallie threw her purse in the general direction of the hall table and pulled off Daryl's jacket. Daryl's eyes adjusted so that in the dim light filtering in from the street, he could see the couch. He moved her quickly backwards to the living room and sat her down, kneeling in front of her. He pulled off her shoes without breaking the kiss. His tongue was wrapped around hers, her arms around his shoulders, wandering over his muscles, his hands moving through her hair, pulling her closer and closer. Hallie moaned as Daryl continued to kiss her roughly, urgently.

Hallie's hands moved to his shirt, undoing buttons one by one. Daryl's hands were on her waist still, his thumbs in front, squeezing, kneading, rubbing her stomach over her sweater, then moving under the hem, his hands on bare skin. He continued to move them upwards towards her breasts, her stomach muscles tight as she held her breath. He ran his thumbs along the top of her bra, feeling lace and silky skin simultaneously. Hallie's hands pulled his shirt open and Daryl withdrew his hands from under hers. He struggled to pull his own shirt off and tossed it to the side, then pulled her sweater off.

Hallie sat up on the edge of the couch as Daryl leaned in and kissed her breasts through her bra, first one then the other. He ran his fingertips along the bottom from the front to the back and undid the hook in a smooth motion. He pulled the straps down slowly. Hallie fought her instinct to cover herself as he removed it and tossed it on the pile of clothes next to him on the floor. She gasped as he covered one nipple with his mouth and kissed, pulling, nipping lightly, scraping his teeth gently over her hot skin as he moved to the other. Her hands were in his hair, her eyes closed, her head down, cheek resting on the top of his head.  
Daryl stopped making circles with his tongue and moved his hands to her waist to unbutton her jeans. He lifted her hips and slid them down her legs, pulling them off. He returned to her, kissing her stomach, pushing her back on the couch gently, moving lower with each kiss. He eased her legs open and could feel the warmth rising from her. He bent and nuzzled between her legs, using his nose and chin to tease her. She moaned loudly and gripped his hair tightly. Daryl slipped his fingers inside through one of the leg openings of her panties and ran them from top to bottom, teasing her.

Daryl drew in a breath quickly and smiled. "Nice" he purred. She was smooth as silk, with the exception of a thin strip down the center. He nudged her sensitive spot with a knuckle and Hallie made a whining sound. He could feel how wet she was getting, how ready for him. He knew that he was more than ready for her. 

Daryl turned his hand to slide his index finger inside her and began to move it around in a slow circular motion. Hallie's hips came off the couch and then she bore down, driving his finger further inside as she moaned "Oh my God." Daryl continued to move, circling his finger and now rubbing his thumb against her, until Hallie's breath hitched. He exhaled, teasing her with his hot breath. He withdrew his finger and pulled down her underwear slowly.

Hallie opened her eyes and caught Daryl's eyes. Her own were ablaze. She sat up quickly and leaned over, jerking on his belt, clawing at his zipper. She pushed his pants down as he sat up on his knees. "Get them off!" she hissed. "Fucking get them off now!"

Daryl was rock-hard by now and it was difficult for him to get out of his jeans fast enough without falling over. His blood-alcohol content didn't help at all either. As he stood back up on his knees, Hallie pulled him to her, opening her legs and wrapping them around him as he entered her in one swift movement. There was no hesitation on either of their parts. This was not just desire, not want or longing. This was pure, unadulterated need. Daryl turned them so that Hallie was on her back on the couch and he was over her. He moved quickly, thrusting deep, his breath ragged. Hallie moaned softly with every movement they made together as Daryl raised her hands over her head, pinning them.

"Oh Fuck!" Daryl said between thrusts. "I...can't...I..." he tried to spit out the words to tell her he was close already, but he couldn't speak. He buried his head in Hallie's neck. He bit and sucked the skin at the base of her neck leaving a mark that grew darker as he pulled at the skin with each thrust.

"Now." he grunted as he felt Hallie tighten around him. She let out a gasp as she exploded, crying "Yessssss. Oh god! Yessss!" Daryl gripped the arms of the couch and rocked his hips against her as hard as he could. "God, now" he growled again. He came so hard that he pushed her into the arm of the couch, bumping her head. "Oh sweet Jesus!" he shouted as he exploded inside her. "Oh God, oh Jeee-sus!"

Daryl pulled her to sitting, on his lap, legs entwined, still inside her, both of them still twitching. He ran his hands through her hair and cupped her face.   
"Woman," he said, "holy shit!" he said, kissing her forehead, nose, cheeks, lips, "That was fuckin' amazing." he said softly. Hallie's legs were still wrapped around him and she could feel his every aftershock, some strong enough to make her shudder as well.

"Yeah. That was beyond description." she smiled. "I never figured you for a religious man, though." she teased. She ran her hands along his chest and biceps, her fingers tracing their contours lightly. They sat like that, caressing, stroking lightly, their pulses and breathing returning slowly to normal.

Daryl continued to run his hands through Hallie's hair, tracing it from the top to the bottom, kneading it, curling his fingers through it. He put his hands to her head and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss. Her lips parted and Daryl moved his tongue in, softly meeting hers, like a slow dance between old lovers. He dropped his hand to the round of her ass and began massaging, his fingers cupped. Hallie moaned into his mouth, his tongue still moving slowly with intimate passes from side to side and around, stopping long enough only to inhale or move his head slightly.

Hallie was thoroughly enjoying Daryl's tongue in her mouth. He smelled wonderfully, all warm and spicy, like wood and tobacco and earth. He tasted even better, the tequila and lime still faintly evident. She felt a heat rise as they kissed, hotter, more intense with every twist of his tongue. She could feel herself become aroused and was powerless to stop it. Daryl's kissing became more rough, more insistent. His breathing began to speed up as his hands moved from her back to the front, caressing, kneading, gently pinching at times. He slipped his hand down between her legs and made a low growling sound in the back of his throat as he continued to kiss her. He rubbed the palm of his hand up and back roughly, curling his fingers, scraping against the still sensitive-flesh. He could tell she was ready again by the way she pressed against him with each pass of his hand.

Daryl flipped her around and half-threw Hallie up on the arm of the couch, pulling her legs up so that she was kneeling now. He moved behind her on his knees and took in the view. "Damn!" he snarled as he grabbed her hips and pulled himself to her, "Woman you got one fine ass." He plunged into her mercilessly, fully as she cried out and moved back against him. He rocked his hips, making a gravelly sound in the back of his throat each time as he moved even deeper into her.   
Hallie grasped the arm of the couch and then pushed herself up, standing, her back to his chest, her arms now behind her reaching for his waist.

It was quick again for both of them, primal, nothing other than the sounds of their breathing and their two bodies coupling. The end was intense, searing through their bodies as powerful shudders wracking them both again and again until their knees buckled and they fell to the couch, spent. Hallie laid sprawled on top of Daryl, his leg hooked around one of hers, one arm around her shoulder holding her right breast, the other across her stomach.

 

"Mmmmm." she said. "I need a drink." she pulled herself off of him to stand, taking his hand. "Kitchen." she said, pulling him up. She took his hand and walked them both into the kitchen, not caring that they were both sweaty and naked.

"Beer?" she said, opening the refrigerator. "Oh, no, wait." She shut the door and held up a bottle of vodka, her nipples stiffening from the cold air. "Here." she said, opening the refrigerator and pulling out two tiny glasses, covered with frost.

They sat at the table and did three shots of vodka each, pausing between each to smile at each other, words minimal, letting their eyes carry the conversation. The vodka was deliciously ice-cold going down but turned into liquid fire when it hit Daryl's stomach. Daryl could not stop looking at Hallie. Beautifully mussed, cheeks flushed and skin glowing. She was also completely naked, which made Daryl tremendously thankful there was a table blocking her line of sight. Hallie stood up to put the bottle back in the refrigerator and wobbled, sitting back down quickly. Daryl collected himself and attempted to stand as the vodka hit him as well.

"Holy shit." he said. "I think we need to lie down." he said, sitting back down quickly.

"I think you might be right." Hallie said. "I know just the place." she laughed. She stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her. Daryl knocked over a chair as he got up quickly, moving behind her, his hands now on her hips. He followed her through a door off the kitchen. Hallie flipped on a light on a night stand and turned around. "Ta Daaaa" she said, holding out her arms.

Daryl looked around with surprise. He'd never been in a girl's bedroom before but he was pretty sure if he had, it wouldn't look like this. The furniture was massive, dark, almost-black cherry wood, old. Definitely very old. The bed had carved wooden spindles and railings on the head and foot boards. There was a navy and white quilt on top. Another pieced quilt hung on a rack at the foot of the bed. There was a rocker in the corner and a wash-stand with a ceramic pitcher and bowl against the wall. The lamps were made to look like candle lanterns and the floor was polished hardwood with long rag rugs on the sides of the beds. He noticed there were no clothes lying out, no curling irons, no makeup or perfumes on the dresser, no stuffed animals or dolls, no computer desk or telephone, absolutely no indication that this room was used for anything other than it's intended purpose. Sleep and hopefully...his mind began to wander.

"Daryl." Hallie said softly.

He snapped out of his budding fantasy involving the carved headboard on the bed and whistled. "M' I in a museum here, or what?" he said, looking around the room.

Hallie crossed the room and pulled off the quilt, laying it on top of the rack. "Lay down." she commanded and Daryl followed. He realized why as soon as his ass hit the sheets. There was a feather bed underneath. Daryl's ass felt like it was on a cloud.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, as he pulled his feet up and crawled under the covers. "This is awesome." he smiled, turning to Hallie. She turned off the light beside the bed and the room went dark. She slid into bed next to Daryl and shivered.

"Cold sheets." she said, reaching for him.

"Not for long." he said, pulling her on top of him and reaching for her hair. This time they made love slowly, carefully. It was the polar opposite of what they had done earlier on the couch. Daryl held her on top of him and watched her face as they moved together. "Do that thing." he whispered.

"What thing?"

"What ya' were doin' when ya' were at tha' bar. At tha' jukebox. Dancin'."

"Oh. Ooooh!" she smiled. "I think I'm too drunk." She put her hands up and began to move her hips from side to side, slowly, imagining the Zeppelin song in her   
head, letting it's rhythm guide her in small circles while she kept him inside.

"That's 'bout the hottest thing I've ever seen." Daryl exclaimed as he watched her. He let her move and gyrate on top of him until he couldn't stand it any longer. He pulled her hips to him hard, making her fall forward, her breasts in his face. "Mmm he said, raising his hips as he pulled her down, increasing his speed and mouthing one of her breasts. Hallie squealed and gripped the carved rails of the headboard. They moved in unison, steadily increasing speed until they were both panting. Sweat dripped down Hallie's stomach and fell on Daryl's chest. Daryl felt himself tighten and he squeezed Hallie's hips to indicate he was ready. "Go, Baby." he hissed as they moved even faster. He let out a low moan and clenched his teeth as they both reached the edge at the same time. Hallie lowered her head, her hair spilling on his face and chest, and whimpered. "Fucking shit." she moaned as he jerked violently, his hips raising them both off the bed. "Ohmygod. Ohmygod." she murmured, letting loose of the rails and collapsing into this arms.

They laid together for a few more minutes, not speaking, Daryl's strong arms around her, kissing her hair, her face. Daryl closed his eyes and let his body take over. He could feel every place they were touching. She was hot, the warmth of her skin on his was like nothing he'd ever felt. Her breathing deepened and slowed and she slowly relaxed in his arms. He could tell she was asleep and before long, Daryl was as well, still holding her tightly.

 

Chapter 6 

Hallie opened her eyes and looked straight into the deep blue ocean of Daryl's eyes, biting her lower lip unconsciously. She blushed furiously as Daryl kept hold of her hand. It was hot. She was hot. She could feel the blush on her cheeks and was aware that it was spreading down her neck and her chest. she could feel the heat radiating upwards. How long had she had her eyes closed? She began to panic, her mind racing. She tried to turn loose of his hand, but he held on tighter. His fingers curled around hers.

"Ya' remember." he said. "I know ya' do." he said in a low voice.

Hallie nodded her head. "Yes." she said weakly. "I do...some parts." If someone could have died from embarrassment, she would have been a goner. He knew what she was thinking. What she was remembering.

"Do you remember the couch?"

Hallie nodded her head. "Yes." she blushed even more. "Twice."

"And the bedroom?"

"Yes."

"And the kitchen?"

Hallie searched for a memory of them there. "N-no. I... I don't..."

Daryl interrupted her. "I was jes' teasin', we din't fool aroun' 'n there, we just did more shots. But we were totally..." he paused for emphasis, "naked."

Hallie laughed out loud., his joke cutting through her embarrassment. "You ass!" she said, thunking his hand on the table top, while it was still holding hers. "I wondered where all my good vodka went!"

Daryl grinned. "Yeah, that was purty' good stuff. Fer' vodka, that is. You ok now? You gonna' stop blushin'?"

"Doubt it." she grinned and rolled her eyes.

They talked some more and Daryl motioned for another round. Pete brought over the Bud and the Diet Coke and smiled broadly as he sat their drinks down.  
Daryl took a long sip and sat his beer down, letting out a loud sigh.

"So." he said, nodding his head. He looked at Hallie with raised eyebrows, as if he were waiting on her to say something profound.

"So." she repeated.

"Now what?"

"What do you mean?" Hallie asked, looking down at her feet, knowing full well what he was getting to.

"What's next?" Daryl said seriously.

Hallie swallowed hard. "I don't know. I told you I'd never done that before. I don't know what comes next. I don't know if there is a next." She took a long drink of her soda. "I wasn't looking to start a relationship. I wasn't even looking to hook up. But we did...and it was great, don't get me wrong. You were phenomenal. But I don't know what should come next, Daryl."

"Oh." he said, his heart sinking. "Ok." he took a long swig from the bottle. "Guess we just play it cool then."

"Yeah. We just play it cool." she agreed, more than a twinge of disappointment in her voice. She knew she was lying. Hallie was lying to Daryl and to herself.

Daryl finished his bottle without saying much more and stood up. "Well, gotta go. See ya' round." he said and turned to leave. Hallie sat there, not knowing what to say. She stood up to return to her friends and he turned suddenly. "I..." he stopped, biting the cuticle on his thumb.

"Forget it." He turned and walked out quickly, his head down.

Hallie picked up her purse and made a beeline to the Ladies room, barely making it to a stall before she burst into tears. She sat on the toilet and flushed it repeatedly to muffle her sobs.

 

Daryl slammed the door to the trailer hard enough to rattle the pictures on the wall. He pulled off his boots and threw them into the corner with a heavy thud.  
"Mother fucking sonufabitch." he cussed. "Play it cool ma' ass." he threw open the refrigerator door and pulled out a can of Bud. "I'll show ya' play it cool. I'll be a fuckin' iceburg. I'll be sa' fuckin' cool she'll think I sunk tha' fuckin' Titanic!" He slammed the refrigerator shut and popped the top, upending the can and draining it dry.

Daryl's hulking mountain of a brother came down the hall, shaking the mobile home with every step. "What tha' fuck're you so pissed off ' bout?" Merle said, scratching his belly under the work shirt with cut-off sleeves. "They cancel Dancing with tha' Stars 'r somethin'?" he stepped into the small kitchen and motioned for Daryl, who was now opening his second beer, to toss him a one as well.

"NOTHIN'." Daryl snarled. "Fuckin' nothin'."

"Nothin' my big lilly white ass. Yer' gonna' tell me what's wrong right now."

"Women suck."

"Yeah, they all do, but tha' best ones swallow." he said, punctuating it with a deep, wet belch.

"I don't wanna talk 'bout it." Daryl frowned. "I ain't touchin' another fuckin' woman the rest a' my God damned life." he shook his head and threw the second empty beer can in the direction of the garbage can. It missed the can and fell to the floor with a hollow rattle.

"Yeah and I'm a fairy princess. Wanna' see my magic wand?" he leered, grabbing his crotch.

"I said I ain't touchin' a woman again." Daryl pushed past him and stormed through the living room towards the bedrooms down the hall. "Didn't say I was turnin' gay, ya' fuckin' asshole."

 

Hallie collected herself and walked out of the stall to find Kelly leaning against a sink, arms folded, foot tapping impatiently. Hallie walked calmly to the sink and washed her hands. She dabbed at her eyes with a paper towel to remove the mascara smudges.

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm going home." Hallie sniffed.

"Well, happy fucking birthday to ME!" Kelly snorted. "I can't leave you crying in the bathroom."

"I'm not crying anymore. I'm done crying and now I'm going home."

"Yeah, where you'll just end up crying some more." she put her arm around Hallie. "Honey, what did he do? I thought you really liked him?"

"He didn't do anything. He didn't say anything. He asked what now and I told him that I didn't know what to do and he said we should play it cool and I agreed and then he left." Hallie tried to swallow the lump growing in her throat.

"Lemme get this straight. You have a one night stand with this guy, you tell him you don't want a relationship and he gets pissed off? Seriously?"

"I don't know that he was pissed off. He just left."

"Oh, Baby, don't you see?" Kelly rubbed Hallie's arm. "Sweetie, don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"He likes you. You were more than a one-night stand to him."

"No. I thought guys didn't want strings. I though they just wanted to fuck and run." Hallie was near shaking by now.

"Most of them do. Apparently he doesn't. Apparently you made a real big impression on him, Sweetie." "Then why didn't he say that?" Hallie blew her nose on a piece of toilet paper from one of the stalls. "I like him too. Why didn't he say that?"

"Because he's a MAN, you dope!" Kelly giggled. "He's not going to tell you how he feels, especially so soon."

"Oh." she sniffed. "He didn't ask me out or anything."

"Hallie, you are not that stupid. He saw you in here again after banging you one night and he whisked you off to a quiet table where you could talk. Alone. He held your hand, and yes I saw that part by the way, he flat out asked you what you wanted to do next. What did you expect? Roses and chocolates and a violin player? He was trying to tell you he wanted to see you again."

"Really?"

"Trust me. You better try to find him and soon or forget about him and chalk it up to experience."

"I dunno, Kelly. What if he's really pissed and doesn't want to now?"

"Trust me, you bat those green eyes of yours at him a couple times and tell him you were scared because you've never met a guy like him before and he'll be all over you." Kelly laughed. "That IS what you want, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess, I dunno. God, I feel so stupid."

"You are," she joked, "but I love ya' anyway, Seester."

 

Six weeks had passed and Hallie'd had no luck finding Daryl. She'd given up. She was mowing her backyard one Friday afternoon, earphones on, oblivious to the rusty Ford pickup truck that had pulled into her drive. The man who exited on the driver's side was huge, well over six foot and pushing 250 pounds. He was dirty, smelly, and pretty well drunk. He was not drunk enough, however, that when he saw grass clippings on the sidewalk and heard the drone of a mower he couldn't put two and two together and walk around the back of the house.

Hallie kept mowing, oblivious to the menacing man standing between her and the only exit out of the fenced-in yard. She continued to mow down the row, keeping her head down to keep her lines straight, singing along with the music, until she looked up and saw Merle Dixon standing about four feet in front of her.   
She dropped the bar on the mower and it came to a sudden halt.

Hallie looked in his face and was immediately uncomfortable. There was something about him she didn't trust and the fact that he was blocking her way out didn't make her any more at ease. She whipped out the ear buds and took a step back from the mower.

"Can I help you?" she said firmly.

"Well, Hot Stuff, that depends. You Hallie?"

"Who are you?" she asked, standing her ground.

"You first. 're you the one that broke my little brother's heart?"

"What?" she asked. "Who's your brother." She took a step closer and looked closely at the hulk in the dirty gray shirt. The minute she could see his clear blue eyes, she knew exactly who he was.

"You screw over that many guys you gotta ask who?" he said. "Well, maybe now that I look at ya', yeah, ya' look like ya'd have yer' share."

"I think it's time for you to get the hell out of my yard and crawl back from under whatever rock you came." she doubled her fists, as if that would have any impact on Merle. "I don't know who you are or why you think I know your brother but you need to leave. Now." Hallie hissed, her eyes flashing.

"Little lady, I ain't leaving until ya' hear what I have ta' say." he took a step towards her.

"Then you better start talking fast, Cracker, because I'm about to start screaming."

"Well, maybe I'll just do something to make ya' scream. Then I'd guess I'd be tha' second Dixon to make ya' scream, huh, Sweet Cheeks?"

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" she said calmly, her eyes narrowed, jaw set.

"Ya' heard me loud ' n clear, Sugar Tits. Ya' fuckin' broke my little brother and it's time fer' ya' ta' put him back together. He ain't been right since the night you two did tha' nasty. I'm fuckin' sick o' his moonin' aroun'. He's like some fuckin' whiny-ass baby. First he can't find ya', then he's afraid ta' talk ta' ya', then ya' blow him off an' he's just been pissy ever since. I'm fuckin' sick of it and yer' gonna fix it." He pulled out a silver flask from his back pocket and unscrewed the cap. "Fix him or I'm gonna' fix you." he said.

"You're Daryl's brother?" she said quietly. "You're Merle?"

"In tha' flesh. Want me ta' prove it?" he said, wagging his eyebrows as he took a sip. "We gotta' big...family resemblance." he said, rubbing his crotch suggestively.

"No, thanks. I can tell by your eyes." she said. Hallie was dumbstruck. "Does he know you're here?"

"Fuck no an' ya' ain't gonna' tell him, neither."

"Merle, give me that flask." she said, taking a step towards him. They were within arms' reach of each other now. "I think I need a drink." He handed it to her, her hands shaking a bit as she took it and tipped it to her lips.

"Holy Christ!" she said, swallowing the clear liquid. "That ain't whiskey. Fuck, that's 'shine!"

"Ya' bet yer' sweet ass!" Merle said, almost proudly, taking the flask back.

Hallie struggled to keep it down as the fire erupted in her belly and spread to her esophagus as well, scorching everything the grain alcohol touched on the way down. She walked to the step of the small deck and sat down. Merle took a couple wobbly steps in that direction.

"How is he?" she asked softly. "Is he ok?"

"No, he most certainly is not fuckin' ok!" Merle bellowed. "Why tha' fuck would ya' do that to him?"

"I didn't know. I've only seen him once since..." her voice trailed off. "I don't know what to say. He got mad and walked out and I haven't seen him since."

"Well, you're gonna' find a way ta' fix it come hell 'r high water, Missy. My brother doesn't deserve ta' be treated like this."

"Like WHAT Merle?" Hallie snorted. "We spend one drunken night together and WHAT? What was I supposed to do, fall at his feet? Beg him to stay? Don't tell me you've never had a one-night stand and never called the girl back, Merle. Love 'em and leave 'em, right? Don't you dare try to tell me you've never done that to a woman!"

"Well, sure, lots a. times, but we ain't talkin' 'bout me now, are we? We're talkin' 'bout Daryl. 'An fer' the record, he don't. Not ever. He don't make a habit of screwin' every piece a' ass that walks by. He hardly screws ANY piece a' ass, so when ya' came along, Little Lady, ya' really fucked up his head 'n he ain't been right since."

Hallie blinked, disbelieving what she was hearing. "Merle, just how do you propose I fix your brother's fucked up head?"

"Well, first off, ya' gotta talk to him."

"I would if I knew where he was. He's not been to Pete's in six weeks."

"He's at tha' County Line. He'll be there fer' an hour after work. Ev'ry night. He never used ta' do that but since he's avoidin' Pete's 'cause you might be there, he's there all tha' time. Playing pool an' smokin. Tryin' not ta' think about you."

"Is he drinking a lot?" she asked.

"Fuck no. He drinks at home. Where he should." Merle took another gulp from the flask. "Ya' gonna go see him or m' I gonna have ta' drag that sweet ass a' yers' there""

"No. I'll do it. I want to." she said quietly, refusing Merle's offer of another sip.

"When?"

"I don't know."

"Not good enough. Tonight."

"Merle, I'd have to finish here and get cleaned up first. He'll be long gone by then." she said. "Will he be there Saturday?"

"Doubtful. That's why yer' goin' tonight."

"No, I can't. I have to finish."

"Tonight." the big man grumbled. "Get yer' priorities straight, Bitch. We're talkin' about ma' little brother here."

Hallie rubbed her head with her hands. She looked down at her shoes, green with grass stains, holes in the toes. "County Line?"

"Yup. Just 'member. Tonight. I'll know if ya' don't show and then yer' gonna be sorry."

"Did you just fucking threaten me, Merle? Seriously?"

"Take it how ya' want, just have yer' little ass there an' fix my brother."

"If I do, then what?" she said.

"Well, then I guess we'll all be happy fucking lil' campers, now won't we?" he said, weaving as he walked out the gate to the driveway.

 

Chapter 7

Hallie laid the twenty down on the bar next to her margarita. She took a napkin from the prep area beside her, swiped it carefully all around her neck and behind her ears and placed it back on the bar, smoothing out any wrinkles "Ok, you got it? The napkin goes under the Cuervo. Once he's had his four, he can come find me." She laid a fifty on the bar. "If you mess this up, I'm taking your tip back the hard way, Slim." she narrowed her eyes.

"Damn, Lady, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but can I get in on it?" the bartender said with a leering smile.

"This ain't no fuckin' game." she said quietly and slid down the bar stool. She turned around and pulled out a five, throwing it down on the bar. "Give me one of those Cuervos, while you're at it." she said. The bartender poured her a shot and she threw it back, her curls bouncing behind her.

She went to the furthest corner of the bar and pulled out a chair facing the wall, her back to the rest of the patrons. She pulled down her denim skirt and smoothed down her blouse as she sat down. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a mirror and checked her makeup. It was almost six o'clock and the place was getting very crowded. It would be hard for him to see her with people standing about. 

 

Daryl threw the truck into park and ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it down as best he could. Quick beer or two, he thought, then home. Early night. He was tired from work. He exited the truck and walked through gravel lot to the door and the sound of music blaring and people talking. County Line was a definite step down from Pete's. It was a redneck bar, plain and simple. County music on the jukebox and PBR on tap. Bad band on Saturday nights. He sat down at the last empty seat at the bar and the bartender came over. "Beer me, Freddy my man." he said with a smile.

"Cain't." the skinny blonde-haired bartender replied.

"You cain't? What tha' fuck does 'at mean?" Daryl looked at him, lighting up a Camel and looking at him sideways. "You cain't?"

Freddy pulled out a shot glass and filled it with Cuervo Gold. He sat it carefully down on the napkin Hallie had wiped with and said "It means I got orders. You drink whatever I give you. Then you can get up."

"What the fuck?" Daryl said, as the scent on the napkin wafted to his nostrils. His eyes widened as he realized who's scent it was. "Where is she?"

"Don't matter. You can't get up until the Cuervo's gone."

"Fuck you. Where IS she?" Daryl insisted, his hand smacking the bar. He stood up.

"Dixon, sit your ass down and enjoy this. That little doll has paid for four shots of tequila for you and a real nice tip for me. She's obviously got plans tonight and if I were you, Buddy, I'd sure as HELL go along with whatever that sweet thing wanted, especially the way that there napkin smells!" Freddy's grin was from ear to ear. "Now. Shoot it."

Daryl put the napkin to his nose and breathed in deeply, the sweet, spicy scent filling his brain with snippets of their night together. He could remember the feel her silky hair on his face, his neck, the warmth of her hands on his skin, the way she tasted, the softness of her lips, the way she moved against him. Daryl folded the napkin in two and tucked it in his shirt pocket, still able to catch her scent.

"Well, fuck. Four, huh?" he said, tossing back the first shot. "May as well gimme' that beer after all."

 

Hallie sat with her back to the room for almost an hour. Two different guys came up and offered to sit with her or buy her a drink, but she politely declined, explaining that she was waiting for someone.

Hallie had finished her margarita a few minutes earlier, nursing it as long as she could. She could hear footsteps behind her and her heart skipped a beat. A hand appeared from out of her field of view and sat a shot glass down in front of her. It was filled with clear gold liquid. A square bottle appeared next to the glass, the label all too familiar. Fuck, she thought, I wasn't expecting this. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. When she opened them, Daryl was sitting across the two-top from her.

"Your fuckin' turn." he said, showing no emotion. He pointed at the shot glass, waiting.

Hallie opened her mouth to say something and then decided to keep quiet. She downed the shot and sat the glass down without a sound, wincing as the liquid hit her stomach.

"Again." he commanded, filling the glass from the bottle on the table.

She threw back the second shot.

"I don't want to do this drunk." she said, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"Do what? We're just playing it cool." he said with more than a touch of sarcasm, glaring at her. "Remember?"

"Daryl."

"Drink." he said insistently, refilling the glass.

"No." she said, looking into his eyes. They were dark blue, angry. Hurt."

"I said drink." he snarled angrily. "You're gonna' have four, just like me."

Hallie downed the third shot as the first and second started to take effect on top of the margarita and the shot she'd had while waiting on him. The fourth one was poured and her hands were shaking as she picked up the glass.

"Daryl, please." she said, looking into his eyes, pleading with her own. He narrowed his eyes and she swallowed the fourth shot, her blood now hot as it raced through her.

"Now, let's just be cooooool." he said coldly, dragging out the word. "How they hangin', Hallie? How tha' hell r' ya'? 'S'at cool 'nuff fer' ya'?"

"Fuck. This was a big mistake. I'm outta' here." she said, trying to swallow the lump building in her throat. Hallie stood up and grabbed her purse. She scooted her chair back and quickly left the table, threading her way through the crowd to the door. Unclipping her keys from the loop on her purse, she almost sprinted to her car and opened the door, only to have a hand pull her arm back and slam the door shut.

"No! You ain't going nowhere. You ain't cuttin' out on me now." Daryl's voice was hard and his hand around her arm was tight.

Hallie pulled back on her arm and Daryl's hand clamped tighter. "Let go of me. I seem to remember YOU were the one that cut out on ME last time, so don't EVEN go there, Dixon."

"I didn't cut out on YOU. YOU were the one who didn't want ME." he hissed, his face near hers now, his eyes furious. "I seem ta' 'member you sayin' you didn't know what was next, if anythin'."

Her words coming back through his voice cut her like a knife. She jerked her arm from his grip and turned her back to him, forcing the tears to dissipate by sheer will alone. I will not cry. I will not cry, she commanded herself. His hands were on her shoulders, rough, spinning her around, pushing her back hard against the car door.

Hallie froze, turning her head to the side, unable to look in Daryl's face.

"Look at me." he growled. "Fuckin' look at me right now, God damn it!"

Hallie turned her head slowly. Daryl's face was bright red, contorted into an angry scowl. There was vein now visible on the side of his neck, dark and pulsing. He was sweating lightly, a thin sheen of perspiration on his forehead, beads forming at his temple. His jaw was tense and his teeth were clenched, his lips pulled back tightly.

"Look me 'n tha' eye 'n tell me that was just a one-night stand." he said, his hands tightening on her arms, shaking her a bit then letting loose. "Tell me ya' haven't thought 'bout me since that night, that ya' don't wanna see me again. Tell me ya don't get wet all over again when ya' 'member ever'thin' we did, ev'ry place I touched ya'." Daryl was whispering by now, leaning on her, pressing into her with his hips, his hands in her hair. "Tell me yer' not dyin' to do it all again." His lips bruised hers with a fevered kiss, his tongue forcing her lips apart, moving forcefully, insisting, overpowering. Hallie's hands clutched his waist, pulling him tighter.

Her knees were near buckling now and between Daryl and the tequila, her head was swimming. She closed her eyes and they continued to kiss, Daryl's body pressing her against the car, making it impossible for her to move, impossible for her to do anything but respond.

Daryl stopped and pulled away, panting. He looked at her, his eye lids heavy, his chest heaving. "Tell me." he said, as he put his hands on his thighs and bent over, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at her and cocked his head sideways. "Just try an' tell me."

"Of course I do. Of course I am" Hallie whispered. "Do you fucking think I would have come here if I didn't?" her head dropped down, the effects of the alcohol beginning to take hold. "I came to apologize. To try to talk to you." she said quietly. "Now I'm gonna be shit-faced in ten minutes and God knows what will happen then."

"Nothing will happen. I ain't gonna' take advantage like that." he said, moving to her.

"That's not what I meant." she said. "I don't know what I'm going to say to you now."

"Why'd it be any diff'rent when yer' drunk than if 'yer' sober?" he asked.

"Aw, Christ, you don't get it, do you?" she said, putting her hands over her face. "It's me. I fuck things up. I can't have a boyfriend. I suck at it." she sighed heavily.   
"I like you too much to put you through this, Daryl. You deserve somebody so much better."

Daryl was confused now. He put his hand on the back of his neck and thought for a minute. "So, what, ya' screw around? 'S 'at it? Y'a fuck other guys?"

"No. That's not it. I'm just not good with guys. Especially guys who are good guys. I drive them away. Only assholes like me." she said.

"Well, thanks a fuckin' LOT!" he snorted. "Guess that makes me KING a' tha' assholes, huh?"

"No, that's just it. You're NOT an asshole. You'll get tired of my shit and you'll leave. Then I'll be right back to square one." Hallie was leaning against the car now, trying to stay upright. "Fuck, Daryl, we can't do this. I can't do this to you!" she whined a bit as she wrung her hands. "It'll hurt too bad again."

Daryl leaned against the car next to her, silent for a long time. "So lemme' get this straight. I gotta' be a' dick ta' be with ya'?" He chewed at his thumb nail with   
his teeth. "'K. I can do that. Smack ya' 'round. Call ya' bad names. Hit on yer' friends, fuck, might need ta' even sleep wi' one. Drink up all yer' money, wreck yer' car when I'm drivin' drunk. I got this." he grinned. "Hey, maybe I should buy ya' a puppy so I can kick it!"

Hallie fought the urge, failing miserably. "Yer' an asshole!" she laughed.

"'xactly!" Daryl chirped, the four shots of tequila now starting to hit home with him as well. He drew her to him, catching her as she almost tripped over her own feet. "I'll do whatever it takes, Hal." he said, his hands on her waist, pulling her to him close to kiss her gently. "Just tell me. Just tell me what ya' need me ta' do."

"Just don't..." she leaned her forehead against his cheek and closed her eyes, "...don't give up." she said.

They stood like that, holding each other until a thunderbolt made a crack in the distance. The wind picked up suddenly. Daryl stepped back and looked at her. "We need ta' get inside 'n play pool 'till this storm passes an' we both sober up."

"Good idea. But no more tequila, ok?" she said, grinning.

"No mas." he shook his head, taking her hand and pulling her towards the front door as the rain started.

 

Chapter 8

 

Hallie stared at the table for a long time. She laid the cue stick quietly on the pool table and said "I'm done."

"Take tha' shot an' finish tha' game. Ya' won." Daryl said, quietly draining another Mt. Dew.

"I can't." she said, looking at him with a blank stare. The two had been playing pool for three hours now, drinking soda and trying to sober up before leaving the County Line. Truth be told, they were having fun just hanging out. The games had been going back and forth. Daryl was pleasantly surprised to find that Hallie could hold her own against him and that he had to really pay attention or she'd kick his ass, something his upbringing by Merle could not allow him, no matter how hard he tried, to rationalize that she might just be a better pool-player.

"Ya' been makin' harder shots than that all night. Take tha' shot an' finish me off."

"I can't." she insisted, turning her head slightly sideways and widening her eyes. "I can't do it."

"Ya' ain't gonna' hurt ma' feelings if ya' beat me, Woman, take tha' damn shot an' let's get tha' hell outta' here. I'm gettin' hungry."

"Fuck your feelings. I been beatin' you all night. I can't take the damn shot so just shut up. You won. Let's go."

"Why can't ya? Just bend over an' hit the fuckin' cue ball. What tha' hell's wrong wit' ya'?" he moved closer.

"Damn it, I can't." Hallie said emphatically, through tight lips. She walked around Daryl and grabbed his hand, putting something inside his palm and curling his fingers with her own. "My plan to distract you kinda' backfired." she said in a low voice.

Daryl uncurled his fingers slightly and realized instantly that the black wad of silkiness in his hand was Hallie's underwear. She couldn't bend over to take the shot because she was no longer wearing them under her thigh-high denim skirt. Daryl's eyes blinked a couple times as his ears turned red and he flushed uncontrollably. "Fuck me." he whispered, looking up at her. "How long you been without these?"

"About twenty minutes. Took 'em off the last time I went to the bathroom. Thought I might need to cheat. You were on a roll."

"Where tha' hell have I been?" he said, shaking his head, still blushing.

"Keeping your mind on the game, like a gentleman." she smirked. "Sucker." she said, walking past him to their booth and smacking him on the butt.

"Well, next time I'll just have ta' keep my mind up yer' skirt." he grinned and followed her, closely.

"Oh, no, there won't be a next time." she said, sitting down.

"What? We ain't gonna shoot pool 'gain?" he said, looking sideways at her.

"No, I'm never gonna try to cheat again!" she laughed.

 

Daryl and Hallie arrived at her house about half an hour later, having made out in the parking lot for a while, her underwear returned to it's proper place, much to Daryl's protests.

They walked in hand in hand up the porch steps. Daryl looked around and marveled at the home, having missed much of it on his first night there. It was a two-bedroom bungalow, craftsman style, with a broad front porch and a couple big oak trees in front. The only think really obviously modern was the big-screen tv in the corner of the living room. Everything else looked like it had been there for a hundred years.

They talked about her job giving her opportunities to pick up nice pieces and how occasionally her boss would show his appreciation for her hard work by surprising her with something special that he knew she'd been looking for. Daryl was relieved to hear that her boss was not competition, but a closeted gay man in a long-term relationship with a partner who's career choice would not allow him to disclose his lifestyle.

They talked about Merle and how he'd pretty much raised Daryl after the death of their mother and in the aftermath of their father's alcoholism and abusive behavior. It was clear to Hallie that Daryl walked a fine line with his older brother. He was grateful for him for sometimes literally keeping him alive, for teaching him survival skills and for intervening when their father came home in a drunken rage. On the other hand, at times Daryl seemed a bit embarrassed by Merle. He described him as having a lot of the most undesirable qualities that their father had - bad drunk, drug abuser, ill-tempered, ill-mannered, and not someone who could appreciate a woman or treat her with respect. He didn't come out and say that Merle hated women, just that he viewed them with only one purpose in life: to meet his needs.

While they talked, Hallie fixed them leftovers of some stew she had in the freezer. Daryl was impressed that she could cook and being a woman alone, did so for herself rather than eat frozen and canned stuff. He ate two bowls and sopped up the thick juice with bread. Hallie was likewise in awe when he carried not only his own bowl, but hers to the sink and ran water in them. She must have been staring at him because he shrugged at her and said "Hey, that shit dries like cement."

They retired to the living room and sat next to each other on the couch, Daryl flipping through the channels on tv, trying to find something to watch. Hallie rested her head on his chest and sighed.

"What?" he said, his hand absent-mindedly combing through her hair.

"Nothing. Just...feels nice." she smiled.

"I don't wanna' have sex tonight." he said quietly.

"Who ARE you and what have you done with Daryl?" she snapped her head up and looked at him.

"I'm serious. I wanna do this right."

"You did it right the first night we met. At least three times right, as I recall."

Daryl snorted, "I thought yer' havin' trouble wit' that recallin'...an' I'm serious."

"So you want me to go back to the rules?"

"What fuckin' rules?" he asked.

"MY rules." she said. "The ones you shattered. The ones that say three dates first. Don't get drunk. No strange guys. Don't take your underwear off in public.   
Those kinda' rules."

"How come yer' not followin' 'yer own rules then?"

"I have no idea. You've kinda turned everything upside down."

"Do I get ta' kiss ya' before the third date?" he said, pulling her by the arms toward his lips.

"Yeah."

"Well, now, that's a rule I can live with." he smiled, his lips close to hers, moving quickly, parting hers in a slow kiss that took Hallie's breath away. They continued to neck for a long time until the grandfather clock in the corner struck one in the morning.

"Need ta' go." Daryl said standing up abruptly.

"Seriously? You're going home? You could sleep here."

"On tha' first date?" he frowned. "Now that wouldn't be followin' tha' rules."

"But..." she whined.

"Hey," he interrupted, "yer tha' one with THAT rule, not me!" he grinned as he pulled her up into an embrace. He slipped his arms around her and held her tightly   
to him. "I wanna' do this right." he whispered, his mouth against the side of her head.

 

Daryl shut the refrigerator and opened the beer can, leaning back against the door as he enjoyed the first bubbly sip. He closed his eyes for a second, the faintest smile crossing his face. He opened his eyes just in time to see a dirty t-shirt launched in his direction, heading towards his face.

"Ya' fuckin' got laid, dint'cha? I knew it. Ya' been out all night an' ya' got laid. Who was it this time"? Merle said, leering. He walked up to Daryl and sniffed, wrinkling his nose.

"Aw, fuck. She smells sweet. Did she smell that good when ya' were done with her? " The big man grabbed his crotch and tugged. "Didja' leave her smellin' like Dixon?"

"Fuck you, Merle. I didn't get laid." Daryl tossed the t-shirt back in his brother's face. "Just shut tha' fuck up, will ya?"

"Ohhhhh! Little piece a' tail lead ya' on 'n then shut ya' down? Roommate cock-block ya? How tha' hell did ya' NOT get laid tonight, Lil' Brother?"

Daryl sat down on the couch, Merle following him into the living room to continue the probing.

"Merle, shut tha' hell up, I'm fuckin' warning ya." Daryl pointed his finger and narrowed his eyes. "Shut up."

"Oh, come on, I'm jes' fuckin' with ya'? " he plopped down in the chair. "What tha' hell happened?"

"Ran into somebody.'

"That all?" Merle continued to probe.

"No."

"Spill it. I'm yer brother. Ya' have to tell me so I can keep ya' on tha' straight an' narrow. Or at least tell ya' where ya' fucked up what kept 'ya from gettin' laid   
tonight."

"I didn't WANT ta' get laid tonight."

Merle let out a roar that filled the room. "Oh, holy Jesus, YOU 'r one fucked-up sombitch." He continued to laugh. "Of course ya' wanted ta' get laid tonight. Ya' still got yer' dick, don't 'cha? Got a dick, need ta' get laid. Goes hand 'n hand."

Daryl looked at Merle and flipped him off.

"Well, now, maybe 'n yer' case, tonight, it'll just be dick 'n hand." Merle howled at his own joke.

"It was her." Daryl said quietly.

"The little bitch from the bar?"

"Don't fuckin' call her that." Daryl grimaced. "She ain't no bitch."

"They're all bitches, but whatever, Bro. What'd ya' do if ya' didn't screw her?"

"Got drunk. Fought. Sobered up. Played pool. Watched tv. Came home."

"Pussy." Merle spat. "She wouldn't let ya' fuck 'er this time? What, she got 'r period?"

"Yer' a pig."

"Maybe, but I ain't tha' one that spent tha' evenin' with a hot piece a' ass an' still came home wi' blue balls." Merle scratched his belly and belched loudly. "So out   
with it."

"Out with what?" Daryl took a drink of his beer and avoided eye contact with Merle.

"Ya' seein' her again?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck. Ya' don't got feelin's for her, do ya'?" Merle looked at Daryl, who was looking at his feet. "Aw, fuck, ya' do, don't ya'? Merle rolled his eyes. "Just what I fuckin' need. Ya' moonin' over some slit who's gonna' drop ya' like a hot potata' an' break yer' fuckin' heart."

"Shut tha' fuck up, Merle." Daryl said, rising and turning towards his bedroom. "Ya' don't know her. Ya' don't know nuthin' 'bout her." he said. Daryl reached his door at the same time that Merle let loose with a content little smile, happy that his visit to Hallie had worked.

 

Chapter 9

Daryl leaned in close, pinning Hallie to the front door, his hips pressing against her. He growled into her neck and gently clamped down, scraping the skin with his teeth, sucking gently, his tongue lapping at the soft skin under her ear. He pushed with his hips in a slow rhythm as his hands moved down along her arms. He moved his hands to her hair and tangled them in the long locks, now kissing her jaw, moving to her mouth before overwhelming her with a deep kiss that sent his tongue halfway to her tonsils. She moaned and pulled a leg up, her sole flat on the door, grinding a thigh into his groin slowly. His hands wandered from her hair to under her sweater, his fingers cool as the night air on her hot skin. He slid a hand down and pulled up one side of her long skirt, dragging his nails up her bent leg, past her knee, up and across her thigh as far as it would go. He cupped her and squeezed the soft flesh, feeling the warm dampness of her cotton underwear on his fingertips. Hallie's eyes were closed, her head down against his chest, her breathing heavy and fast.

Daryl pulled away suddenly and smiled, pushing down on her knee.

"What. The. Fuck." Hallie said breathlessly, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him back towards her.

"Nuh-huh. First date. Can't break tha' rules."

"You can't...do...this...to me." she sighed. "Daryl. Please."

"Nope."

"Fuck the rules." she said, her heart still racing, the dull ache still throbbing through her. "Come on, I can't take this."

"Them's the rules. We ain't breakin' 'em." he said, letting loose of her and tugging his truck keys from his front pocket.

"We already did." she insisted. "Please." she whined.

"No, that was Jose' what broke 'em." he grinned. "Sweet dreams" he said, smirking as he walked off the porch. It was killing him as much as it was killing her to walk away, but he made himself a promise that he was going to get back on track with her, do things right according to how she usually played it. He backed the truck out of the drive and waved goodbye, Hallie still leaning against the door, a look of sheer frustration and pain on her face. Daryl managed to drive about half a mile before he had to stop, pulling into a field road before he rubbed one out.

 

"Come with me."

"No."

"Why not? It's only overnight."

"You know why."

"Because we'll be in a motel room?"

"Yup."

"So? You saying your willpower isn't that strong? You might cave?"

"You know it."

"Chickenshit!"

"Nope. Can't break tha' rules."

"What's gonna happen on our third date then?"

"I think ya' know."

"No. I don't know. I think you're all talk and no action. I think you won't do anything."

"I think ya' best shut that sexy lil' mouth of yers."

"Or what?"

"Or I'm gonna hang up."

"God, you are no fun at all." Hallie whined. "Seriously, please come with me. We'll be back Saturday night. It won't cost a thing. You'll get to see what I do. We can have a nice dinner out someplace new. Go hear a band somewhere. It'll be fun. I promise."

"That's what I'm worried 'bout."

"I'll get a room with two beds."

"Uh-huh. Just gives us two places ta' break tha' rules."

"Daryl."

"Hallie."

"I hate you."

"I hate you back."

Click.

 

Hallie leaped for her cell, her towel sliding off as she hit the bed. She barely caught it on the last ring before it went to voicemail.

"I thought ya' might be out havin' fun."

"Nope. I'm not having fun tonight. My boyfriend refused to come with me."

"You gotta a boyfriend now?"

"I think that's what he is. Why, you jealous?"

"Nope. Should I be?"

"Nope. He doesn't touch me."

"Ever?"

"Well, not since the first night we met. It's been a couple months at least."

"That's just fucked up."

"Yeah, but I'm hoping he will soon."

"I'll bet yer' real horny."

"You have no idea."

"What are you wearing?"

"A towel." Hallie said, turning over on the bed. "Well, not even that really. I kinda dropped it jumping at the phone. What are you wearing?"

"Boxers. You just get outta' tha' tub 'r somethin'?"

"Yeah, shower. Smelled like musty old furniture and books after working all day. Took a long hot shower. Now I'm going to bed."

"That's a shame. Is your hair wet?"

"Yeah. It's pretty wet. It's kinda cold on my ass. I'm kinda wet all over still."

"That's hot. Did ya' touch yourself in tha' shower?"

"Nuh-huh." Hallie rolled to her side. "Why?"

"Just thinkin' what it'd look like, ya' leaning on tha' glass shower door, water sprayin' on those tits a' yers, ya' all covered in soap, running down yer' stomach, yer'   
legs, down the' crack a' that sweet lil' ass." The voice on the other end shuddered. "Do it now."

"What?"

"Touch yourself."

"Where?"

"Your tits. Rub your nipples with your fingers. Twist them."

"You're a bad boy."

"Yup. Are ya' doin' it?"

"Uh-huh. They're hard. Are you touching yourself?"

"Yeah." the voice growled. "I'm picturin' you layin' on that bed, naked, rubbin' your tits. God ya' look so good. Move yer' hand."

"Where."

"Down."

"How far?"

"All the way. Touch yerself down there."

"Mmmmm." Hallie moaned. "I wish my boyfriend were here to do this himself."

"He's pro'ly kickin' hisself' fer' not comin' with ya'."

"I hope so. He could be doin' this all night if he wanted to. God, this feels so good." Hallie sighed.

"What're ya' doin' now?"

"Rubbing myself. Circles. Big ones then little ones. Are you hard yet?"

"I got hard when ya' said' ya' just got out a' the shower."

"Are you picturing what I look like? Layin' here touching myself."

"Yeah. Oh, yeah. Are ya' wet now?"

"I got wet when I heard your voice, Baby. I'm really wet now. "

"Slide your finger inside."

"Are you jackin' off now?"

"Ya' know it. I'm sa' hard I could pound nails. I'm sittin' here thinkin' o' what it'd be like to slide into ya' right now."

"It'd be good. Nice and tight. Wet. You'd slide right in right up to your balls. Then you could pull out all the way and slide right back in. You could do that forever, until you made me scream. "

"You better be doin' that with yer' finger while ya' say that."

"I am. All the way. I'm pretending it's your dick, though. I can hear you. I can hear you moving your hand up and down the length of your cock. I can hear you   
breathing harder and harder."

"Can ya' feel me?"

"Uh-huh." Hallie whined, getting closer. "You're so big. You feel soooo good inside me."

"Go faster."

"Ok. I'm not going to last much longer. It's...so...good. You're...so...good. Oh, Baby." Hallie moaned, almost dropping the phone.

"Let it go, Baby. Let it go. Come for me."

"Are...you...there?"

"Almost. Move yer hips. Come for me now."

"Oh Baby. I am. I'm there. Oh...oh God. Oh, yes, Baby, yes." Hallie panted into the phone as she dropped over the edge, her heart racing, everything inside convulsing in one giant spasm. "Oh, Fuck. Oh, Fuck." she repeated, each time softer, quieter as she rocked against her hand and came down from the high.  
At the same time, the voice on the other end went silent, listening, reaching his own end with a series of violent jerks. If Hallie had been able to, she would have heard his breath hitch and small throaty grunts followed by a loud "Oh, fuck me. Oh, yeah!" and then a long, protracted half-moan, half-whine.

"You ok?" Hallie finally said into the silence.

"Yup."

"I think I need another shower now." she laughed.

"Is yer' phone waterproof?" Daryl asked, almost serious.

 

Chapter 10

 

Daryl leaned over his plate and took another bite off of the soft flour tortilla, a bit of liquid dripping from the corner of his mouth, down his stubbly chin.  
"What do ya' call these things again?" he asked, pulling an onion from the tortilla and sucking the carmel-colored strand slowly through his lips.

"Fajitas. Fa-heat-uhs." Hallie said slowly, watching him eat. She was getting excited just watching him, licking his fingers, licking his lips, sucking on his third bottle of Dos Equis. Sometimes she just had to watch him, reveling in how truly fine he was. The drinks were pretty strong in this place and she was having a hard time not coming across the table. At one point she thought that he'd better call himself a cab because if the got in the same car together, she wasn't going to be able to control herself.

"Damn. Ain't never had Mess'ican before. Pretty fuckin' good."

Hallie just shook her head. "I know, if you didn't kill it, you don't usually eat it."

"Ain't nothin' wrong w' that!" he snorted, half offended.

"No, there's not. Nothing wrong with that at all. You just might want to broaden your horizons a bit."

"I'm gonna' broaden YER' horizons." he mocked, throwing a tortilla chip in her direction.

"You're all talk." she shook her head, taking a sip of her second drink.

"Yer' all rules." he smirked, picking a piece of beef off his plate and dropping it into his mouth, chewing it slowly, watching Hallie watch him. "This's number two,   
by tha' way."

"No way."

"Yup. Last week was number one. This is number two."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"'Cause. Ya' like it."

"No. I most certainly do not. I don't like it one little bit."

"I told ya'. We 'r gonna' play by yer' rules."

"If we're playin, then how come I'm not having any fun?"

"Well now I'm just insulted."

"You know what I mean."

"So, ya' didn't have no fun when ya' were on tha' phone at that there hotel?"

"Ok, well, yeah, that was a lot of fun. So why doesn't that count as number two?"

"''Cause we weren't together."

"Oh, I think we were pretty together." She smiled and lowered her head. Hallie looked up at him, her head still down. "I think we were exactly...together." she said quietly, knowing he knew full well what she meant.

"Woman," he said in a whisper, "shut it. I'm gettin' hard just thinkin' 'bout it."

"I can take care of that for you." Hallie said, looking into the deep blue of his eyes. They were about half-closed and she could tell that Daryl was not entirely with her. She held his gaze for a second and then picked up her margarita, running her tongue over the rim of the glass before she took a sip. She sat her glass down slowly and slid her tongue slowly over her bottom lip. "Mmmm. Salty." she said, never letting her eyes leave his.

Daryl swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. "Fuck me." he whispered, feeling his jeans suddenly become tight.

"Well, I been TRYIN'!" Hallie said loud enough for the people around them to hear.

"I'm gonna make ya' pay fer this." he said. "Yer gonna' pay big-time." he warned, narrowing his eyes playfully. "Yer' gonna scream."

"Dude, I'm screaming now. You apparently just ain't listening."

"Oh, I'm a' listenin'. I just ain't reactin'."

"Bull SHIT!" Hallie laughed loudly. "You can't tell me you don't go home and rub one out every night. On your lunch hour. While we're talkin' on the phone. When you're hunting in the woods. You can't stop thinking about it and you know it."

"That mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble."

"There you go again. Making promises you don't intend to keep."

"Oh, I'm keepin' em. Fer' sure. I'm keepin' em. Ya' just gotta' wait fer it."

The waiter came over and refilled Hallie's water glass, clearing his throat. "Will there be anything else tonight, then?" he asked.

"Nope. Thank you, but I know the answer to that already. Sadly, no, there will be NOTHING else for me tonight." Hallie said, shaking her head as she kicked Daryl's shin under the table.

 

Hallie stuck the nozzle of the gas pump into her car and leaned back against the rear quarter-panel, absent-mindedly watching the pump numbers tick-tick-tick way. She didn't hear the man approaching until he was standing a few feet in front of her. She turned and her stomach did a flip-flop.

"Merle! Hey, how are you?" she decided to play the nice and friendly.

"Well, Sweet Thang, I am five-by-five. Yerself?"

"I'm good, thanks. What brings you out here?"

"Workin'." He just stood there, hands in his pockets, staring at her.

"Merle, listen, I owe you a big thank-you. I...I did what you told me to do and it turned out good. I'm really grateful for your...encouragement."

"No shit, Babydoll? Then tell me why the hell is ma' brother is so fuckin' miserable?" his face turned harsh.

"What? He's miserable? Did he say that?"

"No. He don't talk about ya'. But I can tell. He's jumpy an' pissy an' acts like he ain't gettin' laid. He better be gettin' laid. You best be takin' care a' him, Little Lady. You best be makin' him feel real good 'r I'm gonna' have ta' step in."

So much for nice and friendly. Hallie was beside herself now. She was more pissed than scared and she was tired of his threats already. She pulled out the now-stopped pump handle and sat it in the cradle. She slowly turned back to the car, replaced the gas cap and shut the little door that covered it. Then she turned to Merle and took a step closer to him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Now you listen to me, Merle Dixon, and you listen good. Stay out of this. Your brother and I are just fine. If he's feeling...frustrated...it's his own doing. It was his decision to stick with something and see it through and it's his own damn fault. I told him he didn't have to. I've been begging him to forget it, but no...he's being stubborn. I'm bettin' he comes by that honestly, doesn't he? He's waiting for our third date, which should be soon, so thank you very much for your concern about your brother getting laid, but mind your own fucking business." By this time, Hallie was eye to chest with Merle and poking her finger in his belly on the last three words for extra emphasis.

"So what, this some kinda' sex game 'r sumpthin'? Never thought ya'd be the kinky type from lookin' at ya', but whatever floats yer' boat, I say! Ya' like ta' be spanked too? I like ta' give a hot little ass a good spankin' now an' then."

"No, you sick fuck. This is not a sex game! It's your brother showing he's a gentleman. That he has control. That he thinks I'm worth the wait!" she said loudly.

"Well, ya' fuckin' well better be. Third date. What tha' fuck kinda' horseshit 's that?" Merle roared. "Sounds like yer' jus' playin' him. 'S 'at it? Yer' a cock tease? You ain't gonna' fuck him no more at all are' ya? Yer' just stringin' him along. Who's tha' sick fuck now?"

Hallie lost all control at that point and doubled her fist. She landed the blow on his jaw, making him take a step backwards, mostly in surprise. He rubbed his face with his hand and grinned. "We'll, Sweet Cheeks, I see I hit a nerve."

"Fuck you, Merle. What Daryl and I do or don't do is none of your business." she said. "Stay the fuck out of it." she said, her doubled fist still raised.

Merle grabbed her fist with one hand and held it tight. "Now ya' listen here, Missy. What you an' ma' brother do IS ma' business. He's ma' baby brother an' I ain't gonna let ya' do anythin' ta' hurt him. You ain't gonna fuck him over an' break his heart. You do an' you'll answer ta' me. You got that? You hear me loud an' clear? I will fuck you up if ya' hurt him."

Merle's face was close to Hallie's now and she could smell the tobacco and alcohol on his breath. He looked a lot like Daryl, only bigger, taller, beefier. With years more worry and anger and sadness etched in his face. She wrenched her hand away, rubbing her wrist where his hand had dug in.

"If you're doing this to get me to run away from Daryl, so you can prove something to him, you're wrong. It ain't gonna work. You don't scare me. You're not going to scare me away no matter how much you try, Merle. You're the one that better be careful. You better hope I don't tell Daryl you've been threatening me. How do you think he'd feel if he knew what you said to me? Who'd be hurting him then, huh Merle?"

Merle looked at her, surprised for a second. She wasn't backing down. His jaw did kinda' smart, too. "You just 'member sumpthin'. " he growled. "I'll be watchin'." he said, poking her in the forehead with his index finger then turning slowly and walking to his truck.

"I'm sure you'd love to watch, Asshole, " she called after him. "gut you ain't gonna get to. And I'm...not...scared."

Merle pulled the truck onto the road and rubbed his jaw. He reached into his pocket and took out a handfull of pills, swallowing them with the help of the quart he had on the seat next to him. "She fuckin' hit me." he said disbelievingly, looking in the rear view mirror. "Fuck! Lil' bitch!"

It was Wednesday evening. Hallie walked to the porch and took the mail out of her box. A little white envelope with no return address caught her eye. She sat down on the wicker rocker and tore it open gently. It was written in a scribble, definitely masculine. Daryl's handwriting. Inside was a folded piece of notebook paper which said:   
"#3  
pack a bag for the weekend  
outdoor clothes  
6:00 p.m. Friday  
p.s. panties not necessary"

Her heart skipped a beat and instantly a warm tingle spread through her, starting low, building, aching. Reminding her of what was to come. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander, remembering everything she could about that first night together. Her phone angled in her purse, jolting her back to reality.

"Hello?"

"Get ma' note?'

"Yeah, just read it. I'm sitting here fantasizing about it, in fact."

"That's why I called. Add something to yer' list." his voice was low and gravely. Like he was thinking things he ought not to be thinking...and enjoying every minute of it.

"Ok, what?"

"Lube."

Hallie let out a little noise from the back of her throat. Not a whine or a moan, sorta of a cross between them, high and thready. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

Click

 

Hallie' jumped as her phone rang. She'd been cleaning off her desk to kill time. Her nerves were on edge. She'd been anxious all day, impatient for five o'clock to come. Anxious to see his old pick-up pull up in the drive. Anxious to start their weekend together. Their THIRD date. She had her bag beside the front door. Jeans, sox, a couple hoodies, jacket, hiking boots, some new lacy underwear, despite his instructions. A bottle of tequila and six limes, and after a trip to the adult book store out by the interstate, a new bottle of something guaranteed by the woman working there to be "the best stuff ever." She looked like she knew what she was talking about, so Hallie took her word.

"You all set?" Daryl's voice was soft, slow.

"Ready. Got everything packed and waiting."

"Good. I gotta' tell ya' sumpthin'."

"Daryl, no, you're not going to cancel, are you? Please, no." Hallie moaned.

"No, shut up. I need ta' say sumpthin' to ya'."

"What?"

"I don't want ya' ta' think that the only reason I'm doin' this is ta' get in yer' pants."

"Ok."

"This weekend ain't all 'bout that fer' me. It's more."

"Ok."

"Damn it. I'm tryin' to tell ya' I got feelins' for ya."

"Daryl. I...that's the sweetest thing you've ever said." Hallie sat down hard in her chair. "I have feelings for you too. I knew I did before we ever got back to my house that first night."

"Jus' wanted ya' to know."

"That means a lot." Hallie could tell how difficult this was for him, even through the phone. Daryl was not one to talk about feelings much. "Daryl?"

"Yup."

"You're still planning to get in my pants, though, right?"

Chuckle. "Hope ya' got the big bottle."

Click

 

Chapter 11 

 

Daryl parked the truck at the wood-shingled cabin and turned to Hallie. "You gotta stay here for a bit."

"Ok." she said, eying him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Got a couple things to do." he said, grinning. "You'll see."

"Ok, but hurry."

It had taken them the better part of two hours to get to the small hunting cabin in the middle of a deep woods. Give or take the twenty minutes they were pulled over making out to the point that Daryl had his hands roaming all over under Hallie's shirt and she had her hand in his pants and he knew if they didn't stop, he was going to throw her in the back of the truck on top of the camping equipment and have her right then and there in front of God and everybody else that came down County Road 1200 East.

Daryl jumped out of the truck and hauled the big Coleman cooler into the cabin, along with a couple other sacks. Hallie drummed her fingers on the door and looked around. It was small, nice, deserted. She didn't see any electric lines but after a couple minutes, there was a glow coming from the two windows on either side of the door. She noticed that there was now a wisp of smoke coming from the small chimney.

Daryl came out of the front door and closed it behind him, grinning. He motioned for her from the tiny porch and she climbed out of the cab of the truck, overnight bag in hand. He met her on the first step and picked her up by her waist, lifting her up to him. "Happy third date." he said, kissing her softly. He sat her down facing the door and said "Come on." pulling her by the hand towards the door.

Hallie stepped in and got a lump in her throat. The cabin was rustic, wood floors and unfinished walls, sparsely furnished. It had a small wooden trestle table, couch, sink with pump and small counter, fireplace and in the corner, an old iron bed, neatly made. Daryl had built a fire in the fireplace and there was a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase on the table. There were candles lit on the table, mantle and counter top, making the place aglow. Hallie looked on the table and saw it was set with a red tablecloth, two plates, silverware and wine glasses.

Daryl was absolutely beaming, the shadows of his strong features caused by the dancing candles made him more striking than ever. He took hold of her and pulled her to him tightly as Hallie slipped her arms around his neck.

"This is too perfect." she whispered into his neck. "You are too perfect."

"Naw, I just thought ya'd like ta' get away. Just tha' two a' us."

"Like I said," she whispered. "Perfect." She closed her eyes as Daryl's mouth pressed to hers in a lingering kiss.

 

The wine with their dinner had made Hallie a bit flushed. Daryl had boiled water in a kettle in the fireplace and Hallie washed the dishes in the small sink. Daryl stood behind her, his hands on her hips. "Ya' done yet?" he said impatiently.

"I gotta' rinse them good, otherwise we'll get sick." she said, squirming out of his grasp. "What are you in such a hurry for, anyway?"

"You." he said, running his hands around her waist and down the front of her jeans.

"Oh, really? I've heard THAT before!" she said, pouring more hot water on the plates. "You get me all worked up and then you tell me you can't finish the job because of the rules."

"I'm gonna so finish tha' job. Rules don't mean shit no more." he said hungrily, moving her hair from her neck. Daryl's tongue traveled from her shoulder to below her ear in one long, hot, slow swipe.

Hallie threw her head back, almost burning herself with the boiling water. "Jee-zuus, Dixon. Don't fucking do that unless you are serious."

Daryl's hands moved to her zipper as he pressed into her from behind. He slowly undid the button and pulled down on the zipper with one hand, his other arm encircling her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

"Mother of God." she whispered. "I can't take this any longer. You better fuck me now, if you're gonna." she said, setting the last of the silverware on the towel on the counter with a jangle.

"Oh, I'm gonna'" he said, his breath ragged. "Ab-so-lute-ly." he growled.

Daryl pulled Hallie's jeans down in one quick movement, taking her underwear with them. He didn't even notice she was wearing new red boy-shorts with lace trim to match her bra. His hands were on her hips, turning her to him, kissing her urgently. Her hands were moving to undo his belt, tugging downward on his jeans. Hallie pulled his boxers down and he all but sprang out. He lifted her up and impaled her in one long movement, causing Hallie to cry out in ecstasy. Hallie wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck as he moved them towards the bed.

He laid her down gently, his arms around her back, her knees even with the edge of the bed, still locked around his hips. Untwining his arms, he took both of her hands and pulled them over her head, pinning her, his face buried in her neck, kissing her everywhere his mouth could reach. He pulled up her sweater and pulled it off, hurrying. He took one look at the lacy red, front close bra. "Niiiiice." he said drawled, undoing the clasp with and pulling it open, exposing her in one swift motion.

He reached one hand behind him to unlock her legs, moving one of her legs to his shoulder, making Hallie suck in her breath and hiss "Yesssssss." His mouth roamed across her breasts, nipping, sucking, making circles with his tongue, grazing her nipples with his teeth, the stubble on his chin rasping against her sensitive flesh.

He let go of her hands completely now and stood up straighter, gripping her hips, pulling them towards him, moving slowly, burying himself all the way then withdrawing almost completely. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her ass, his calloused hands squeezing, kneading, gripping harder with each stroke as the old bed creaked in protest. Hallie put her forearm over her eyes and began to moan softly. Her foot found the edge of the side mattress and she pushed upward, thrusting her hips to meet him, matching his quickening rhythm as best she could.

Hallie felt Daryl's breathing stop and then heard him gasp and hold his breath again as she felt herself tightening around him. She moved her arm from her eyes and pushed herself up from behind, resting on her bent elbows, narrowing the distance between them. Daryl bent over to meet her lips and they kissed roughly, his tongue uncontrolled and wild, his lips bruising as the force of his thrusts rocked them both. Hallie's eyes were ablaze, pupils dilated, dark green with desire.  
His pace quickened even more and he began to moan into her mouth, louder and louder as he continued to move like an animal until he suddenly stopped moving. Totally. His head slowly moved backwards as he stopped breathing, his eyes rolling upwards like a man possessed as he exploded into Hallie with a violent spasm. One after another, crashing, thunderous, until he finally was able to inhale. When he did finally, it was as if he'd been underwater for minutes.  
He opened his eyes slowly and looked at Hallie. She was laying on the bed, her long curls halo-ing her hair, her eyes closed, mouth slightly open, hands curled into balls on her chest. Tears were running down her flushed cheeks. He moved her up on the bed and laid down next to her, holding her, his face buried in her hair, breathing in her scent.

"Hal? Hallie? Baby, look at me. You ok?" he whispered into her head. "Did I hurt ya'?"

She opened her eyes slowly. "Mmm. No, God no. I... I can't..." she sighed softly and brought her hands to his face. "I can't think anymore. I'm just...Oh, God." she said as another wave trembled through her whole body. "I'm just...drained."

Daryl sat up and pulled her with him, covering them in the soft fleece blanket from the foot of the bed, leaning his back against the white iron headboard. He held her on his lap, rocking slowly, covering her face with soft kisses.

"Well?" she said, smiling.

"Well what?" he nuzzled her neck and nibbled on her earlobe.

"Was it worth the wait?"

"Maybe." he teased, biting down a bit harder on her earlobe, making her squeal. "But I ain't waiting no more."

"Ever?"

"Nope." he said smirked, as he rolled on top of her and began kissing her once more. "'least not till I catch ma' breath."

 

Chapter 12

Daryl and Hallie spent the rest of the night and the better part of the next morning in bed. On the sofa. In front of the fireplace. On the table. Everywhere. Hallie joked that if it hadn't been too cold, they probably would have gone outside as well, and when Daryl picked her up and headed for the door, she insisted they not.  
Long about nine Saturday morning, Daryl curled up on his side and pulled her into him. Hallie had fallen dozed off quickly after their last session and was sleeping soundly now, her hands tucked under the pillow, her tiny feet crossed over one another, knees up in a fetal position. He pulled the covers tight and snuggled to her. She was hot against him. Her skin was always hot. It felt good against his, like a silky hot water bottle all his own.

Daryl laid there, basking in enough afterglow to last him months. His whole body was relaxed, warm, comfortable. He marveled that it was only Saturday morning. They still had another day and a half, but he never wanted this to end. He closed his eyes and wondered what the rest of the world was doing right now.  
When he woke, it was to the smell of coffee. He could feel the warmth of the fire she'd stoked, hear the gentle cracking and popping of the wood. She had on a pair of leggings and a long sweater and was humming softly as she bent over the fire, working at something, her back to him, hair in a loose bun.

"What tha' hell r' ya' doin?" he said, sitting up.

"Good morning to you, too." she turned around.

"No, what 're ya' doin?" he said, realizing that the item in her hand was a spatula. "Yer' not supposed ta' be doin' that!"

"What? Making pancakes? Fuck you, I can make pancakes if I damn well want!"

"No, I 'as gonna make 'em fer' ya. Breakfast in bed." He sat up against the pillows, arms crossed, pouting.

"Well, I beat you to it. So just lighten the fuck up, Grumpy."

"You better watch that mouth a' yers."

Hallie took the pan off the grill, setting it away from the coals. She exhaled deeply, her shoulders rising and then falling and turned around slowly.

"No. "she said, a slow smile forming. "You watch it." Pulling back the bed covers, she climbed in and straddled his knees.

"Oh, fuck Aunt Jemima!" he moaned as she closed her mouth around him.

 

They packed a backpack and headed off through the trees, spending the afternoon in the woods. Several times they would stop, throw out a blanket and lay on it, watching clouds or birds overhead, whispering to each other. Daryl would hold her close sometimes, sometimes he would lay with his head in her lap. Always, they touched. Holding hands, arms around each other, sometimes just a finger or a hand resting on one another, but always touching. Daryl had never felt this comfortable with anyone in his life.

By Sunday afternoon it was very apparent to Daryl that the one-night stand was turning into something more for him. He was truly disappointed to have to leave. Hallie was sitting on the tailgate of the truck, feet swinging, head cocked sideways watching him lock up the cabin. He tugged on the padlock one last time and pointed a finger at it, shaking his finger in the air a couple times as he turned to hop down the steps to the vehicle.

"Ready?" He said, walking to the tailgate.

"Guess so. I really wish we didn't have to leave."

"'I hear that." he said, running his hand through his hair and looking back at the cabin wistfully. They drove, sitting close, not speaking almost the whole way home. It was as if neither one of them wanted to shatter the glass bubble that had surrounded them the weekend, that insulated them from everything else but just themselves, that kept everything at bay. Daryl was the first to break the silence.

"Did ya' hava' good time?" he said quietly.

"The best. It was perfect, Daryl. Thank you." she said, putting her head on his arm. "Did you?"

"Yup." he said, grinning. "Don't wanna' go back." he said.

"Me neither. Work's going to be real boring this week."

"Could go back next week."

"Mmm... Sounds wonderful. We'll see." she said, hoping that her causal attitude would tell him that she wasn't expecting him to spend every waking minute with her, even if deep down she wanted him to. She wanted to give him space and not smother him, to keep this from snowballing, rolling too fast down hill towards the crash that she thought would be inevitable. She remembered a line from one of her favorite movies, "Blade Runner." Tyrel, the genius scientist who designed the replicants, says "the light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long." Hallie was scared to death that this would be her fate with Daryl. That they would burn out, leaving her in the shadows, alone.

"Sure." he said, his heart dropping. If Daryl had known what Hallie was thinking, he would have told her he'd be with her forever, especially in the darkness.

 

Hallie turned her head to the door and her stomach churned. A quick drink after work had turned into a margarita and a shot and she really didn't want to deal with him this evening. Oh, fuck no.

He strode through the doors and walked to the bar, his steel-toed boots heavy and hollow on the wooden floor. He slid onto a stool and swiveled, throwing back the shot of Jack Daniels that the bartender had laid down before Merle's ass even hit the barstool. He surveyed the room like a king looking over his court. Merle knew his massive frame was as intimidating as his reputation and he lorded it over everyone. He loved the fear factor that was associated with his sheer presence. 

He looked at the patrons, checking out the women as if he was inspecting them for market, eyeing them up and down with a curled smile.

The table in the corner held several lovely young things. He worked his way around, one by one, sizing up each one by their physical attributes on his own tilted personal scale, until he locked eyes with one sitting directly facing the bar. Fuck me, he thought. That's that lil' piece Daryl's hot fer'. He smiled broadly and lifted his beer in acknowledgement. Fuck, why be rude? What tha' fuck did Daryl say her name was again? God, he should know it by now, he heard it enough. On the phone. In his sleep. Jacking off. Daryl wouldn't talk much to him about her, but he sure said her name enough. Christ! The last time he saw her she had decked him. Popped him one in the jaw. Kelly. Shelly. No. Hallie. Yeah, tha's it. Hallie sumpthin'.

The girl slipped out from behind the round table and one of the others pulled her arm back. They exchanged words and the little one shook her head and continued walking towards the bar. Straight at him. Merle looked at her as she walked towards him. She as little, no bigger than a minute. Nice rack. Nice face. Dark red hair. He always liked red heads, they tasted different, he would tell Daryl. Long hair like he liked. Good for holdin' with, he thought. Imagining the view from behind as he jerked her hair. Merle let go with an evil smirk.

"Oh, please, Lady, don't hit me a'gin!" Merle laughed as she walked up to him.

"I ain't gonna. Yet. But the night's still young." Hallie smirked. "Buy you a drink? I think we should get to know each other."

"Now why tha' fuck would ya' need ta' do that?" Merle scratched his neck with a dirty hand. "Ya' think jus' because yer' fuckin' mah lil' brother we're gonna be one big happy family? Have Thanksgivin' together? Exchange Christmas presents? Fouth a' July bar-beeee-ques?"

"Christ, you're such a fucking charmer, Merle. I just do not understand why you can't find a good woman." Hallie she said, a sneer in her voice. She motioned to the bartender. "Shot of Jack and a shot of Cuervo." she said. "Did I get that right, Merle? Jack? You ARE man enough to handle another shot of Jack, right?"

"Bitch, I'm man enough ta' handle whatever yer' buyin'."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Bottoms up." she said, throwing back her shot as Merle did his. "And don't fucking call me bitch again, got it?"  
"Or what?"

"Or you can buy your own damn Jack."

"Alrighty then." Merle smiled. "'Long 's yer' buyin'."

"Let's sit down." Hallie said.

"This ain't no fuckin' date, Woman."

"Trust me, Merle, no one in here would think that. Not a fucking soul. I been walking around all day. My ass is tired, my feet hurt and I just want to sit the fuck down. Now shut up and grab that table over there in the corner, will ya'?"

"Yer' ass don't look tired." he growled. "It looks mighty fine ta' me. Fine 's wine. Fact I'd like ta'..."

"Now, Merle, would you have said that if Daryl were sitting right here?" she smiled slyly. "Never mind, you would have, I know you would have."

"Fuckin' A. Why tha' hell not?'

"Oh, I don't know. Respect maybe? Boundaries? Common decency?"

Merle laughed out loud. "Ain't got none a' that."

"No doubt. How about this? How about because it's just plain ol' bad taste to make nasty comments about your brother's, ah.." Crap, McAllister, you've stepped in it now.

"Ma' brother's WHAT?' Merle said, honing in on Hallie's slip like a shark smelling blood. "Jus' what tha' fuck' 'r ya' anyway?"

"I...don't... know." she said, the Cuervo loosening her up. She motioned to the bartender for another round. "You tell me. What DOES Daryl call me?"

"Skank. Whore. Slut. Cunt." he hissed. "Tem-po-rar-reee." he said the last one slowly, enunciating each syllable, his drawl thick.

"Oh, fuck you, you Asshole! He does not."

"Does too. Says he's gonna dump yer' ass 'soon as he's done hollowin' it out." he smiled.

"You so suck at lying." Clink went the two empty shot glasses on the table.

"So, then you tell me - what tha' fuck 'r ya'?" Merle wiped the Jack off his lips with the back of his hand.

"Beats me." she shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to ask him."

"Naw, he don't talk none." Merle said, shaking his head. "Boy never was one ta' talk much."

"Tell me about it."

"He don't talk ta' ya' neither?"

"Sometimes. Most times no, he's pretty quiet. I don't mind. It's nice. Makes what he does say that much more important."

"Bet he's busy usin' his mouth fer' other stuff, huh Darlin'?"

"Yup." she smiled and looked at him sideways. He was leering at her. He licked his lips and raised his eyebrows.

"Yes he is. Lots of other stuff. Nasty stuff. Did you teach him that stuff?" You did not just say that to this man, she thought.

"Nuh-huh. Din' hav' ta'. Just comes natural ta' Dixon men. Jus' know how ta' make a woman moanin' happy."

"Well, God Bless the Dixon men, in that case."

"So ya' sayin' mah lil' brother's good 'n tha' sack?"

"What do you think, Merle?"

"I think ya' prol'ly fuck like bunnies, tha's what I think."

"I think I need another drink if we're gonna go down this road."

Merle laughed. "Yer' tha' one who brought up goin' down, jus' 'member that, Missy Jane."

Hallie walked to the bar and ordered two beers and two more shots. If she had to get him shit-faced to get on his good side, so be it. As long as she was in   
control of the situation. She didn't want to think about what Merle would do if he thought somehow she'd given the green-light to get, well, too familiar. She really didn't want to think of the conversation she'd inevitably have to have with Daryl to explain why she'd gotten drunk in a bar with his brother...without him.  
She brought the drinks back and sat them down. Merle drained half of his beer and then tossed back the shot with a gravelly, contented "Aaaaah."

"So." he said, eyeing her. "You 'n mah brother."

"Yup."

"Ya' like 'im?"

"Yup."

"Ya' love 'im?" he said, taking a long drink from the bottle. "I know ya' went an' spent tha' weekend 'gether at th' cabin. Awww, playin' house, weren't ya'?"

"We did." she said nodding, dodging the question. "Nice place, did you build it?"

"Ya' din't answer mah' question, Sweet Cheeks." Merle leaned across the table and looked in Hallie's eyes. "Ah, said, do ya' love 'im?"

Fuck. He's not going to let it go. Hallie leaned in to him, closing the gap. She looked in his eyes, not knowing what to say. She bit her lower lip absent-mindedly. Merle wasn't blinking. He was waiting for an answer. Hallie looked down at the table top briefly and then returned her eyes to his. More silence.  
"Yeah." she said nodding, her voice barely above a whisper.

Seconds ticked away. Merle didn't react. He just looked at Hallie, their eyes locked on each other.

"Well, fuck me sideways." Merle finally said loudly, tipping the bottle back and emptying it.

Christ, what have I done, she thought. There was a deafening silence between the two for what seemed like hours. Hallie sipped her beer and tried to get her thoughts under control. She kicked herself for saying that, wondering how Merle would use it against her. Wondering if he would tell Daryl what she'd said. She didn't want Daryl to know. Not so soon. Not yet. She didn't want him to feel pressured into anything. Shit, shit, shit, she thought. It was all going to start unraveling. She looked at Merle. He was still staring at her. He looked away long enough to catch the bartender's eye and motion for another round.

"So yer' 'n love wi' tha' lil' shit." he said, scooting the overflowing shot glass in front of her. "I reckon that calls fer' a toast." Merle was smiling now, a goofy, broad grin that was more unsettling to Hallie than his usual menacing scowl. He raised his glass and moved his arm in her direction. Hallie did the same. "Ta' the lil' fucker." Merle said. Hallie laughed without thinking and drained the glass of the amber colored liquid fire.

 

"Merle, I, "she said, her tongue tangling on her words, "I am not totally sober." she said. "It's all your fault, you big jerk."

"Now, don't be hatin'. I don' 'xactly 'member pourin' them drinks down yer' throat."

"True, very true. But if you hadn't shown up, I'd left after a couple and I would be able to drive home. No way can I drive now." she protested.

"Well, baby, I'll be glad ta' drive it home, I mean, drive ya' home." he said, leering again.

"Not gonna' happen, Merle. What'd I tell ya'?"

"Yeah, yeah, one Dixon's 'nuff." he rubbed his chest with the flat of his hand. "Yer' just a one DICK-son woman." he said, emphasizing the first syllable and saying it loud enough for people to turn and look.

"Well, sorry, Sweetie. What can I say?"

"Say yes, Darlin'. I'll never tell. One night w' me an' y'll never think 'bout that narra-ass brother o' mine a'gin. I'll rock yer' world." Merle was grinning from ear to ear. At this point, Merle didn't know what he'd do if she'd said yes, but he knew she'd never say yes. She was a nice girl and she was in love with his baby brother.

"Maybe, maybe, but one night with me, Merle Dixon, and you'll be clutchin' your chest and wishin' you'd never eaten all that fried chicken and biscuits and gravy all your life." Hallie's voice was low, slow, oozing. "I'd give you the heart attack to end all heart attacks and your sorry-ass corpse would sit straight up at your funeral and thank me for killin' you and beg me to do it all over again. So how about we not even entertain that thought anymore, ok, Stud?"

Merle choked and started laughing. "Well, can't blame a man fer' tryin'!" he roared. "S'ok. I had Ronnie call Daryl to come 'an get ya' anyhow."

"WHAT?" Hallie screeched. "You fucking called Daryl?"

"Yeah, he's on his way."

"Is he pissed?"

"What tha' fuck fer? We was just havin' a lil' drink."

"What did you tell him, Merle?" Hallie was livid. "What the fuck did you say to him?" Panic setting in.

"Now, don't go gettin' your thong' up yer' crack." Merle said, draining another beer. "I told him to tell the lil' pecker-head I stopped in' n' ya was' here wi' a' couple girl friends an' we got ta' talkin' 'n ya' need a ride home now. Consider it a favor. Now ya' can get laid 'n tha' middle a' tha' week. Ya' can thank me later."

"Oh my god, Merle. What if he asks how we figured out how we both knew him?"

 

Daryl was half-irritated and half-excited. He'd not seen Hallie since the last weekend and they hadn't made plans for this weekend, despite talking on the phone every night after work. He was aching to see her again. Literally. This could be perfect, take her home, love her up, maybe both call in sick and then they could spend the day together. At the same time, though, something bothered him. He knew his brother all too well. He knew that Merle would be his usual self, especially if they'd been drinking. He wasn't worried as much that Hallie couldn't take care of herself, more that Merle would scare her off. Make her think twice about getting involved with a man who's immediately family was, well, Merle.

He walked into the bar and saw them at a table. They were sitting across from each other, smiling. Laughing. He watched them for a second before he walked up.   
They seemed to be genuinely having a good time. Hallie's hand was on her chin, her elbow on the table and Merle was leaning in, telling her a long story, apparently. Hallie's eyes were sparkling and Merle was grinning, his gestures animated and wild.

He pulled a chair from the next table and sat down next to Hallie, putting his arm around the back of her chair. Merle motioned for yet another round.

"We havin' a party here or what?" he said quietly.

"Hey." Hallie said, turning to him, grinning. "Look who I found."

"Yeah, I see. What're we doin' here, guys?"

"Just having a few drinks. We found out we have somebody in common and Merle and I have been gettin' to know each other. Right now he's telling me about you and the snappin' turtle."

"Fuck Merle. Don't be tellin' no stupid stories." he said, embarrassed. "I need ta' take Hallie home."

"Aw, shit, Brother, sit down an' have a beer. Ain't hurtin' nothin'. You need ta' relax and sit a spell. Then ya' can take this fine piece a', er, this young lady home an' screw her brains out, but first, yer' gonna' have a beer with us."

"Merle." Daryl said through clenched teeth. The look he gave his brother was one of sheer disgust.

"Aw, get over yerself. We all three know yer' doin' tha' nasty, we're all grown-ups." Merle said, swigging his beer.

"Some 'parrently not 's much 's others!" Daryl hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Ok, guys, look, we're not going to start anything. Daryl, Merle's just trying to get a rise out of you."

Merle interrupted "I think that's yer' department, Sweetheart!"

"Damn Skippy that's my department, now you behave yourself, Merle. Stop baiting your brother. "

"Baitin' mah' brother? Again, thass' yer' department, Babydoll, but I vouch fer' him. I guaran-damn-tee he's a master bater!" Merle howled and smacked his hand on the table top.

The vein on Daryl's neck bulged. Hallie's eyes widened and she put her hand up to her face, laughing.

"Sweetie, I think that's on your agenda tonight, not Daryl's." she giggled. "And stop tryin' to piss him off or it's gonna be on ALL our agendas."

Daryl looked at Hallie. She was flushed from the alcohol and her eyes were a bit red. She wasn't falling down drunk but she wasn't safe to drive and Merle had made the right call. She was sitting close to him, her hand on his knee, rubbing gently. Merle stood up and announced that he was heading to the bathroom to drain the lizard, as he put it. He didn't know if he should be more proud than mad. Not many women could spend an evening going toe to toe with his drunk-ass brother and end up laughing.

Daryl pulled her towards him, putting his arm around her waist, holding her tightly to him, his mouth to the side of her head.

"Ya' ok?"

"Fine." she said, turning towards him. "You mad?"

"No. Should I be?" Ok, little white lie here, Daryl, he thought.

"No. I didn't plan this but I'm kinda glad it happened. Merle's ok. No, he's not ok. He's way more than half a bubble off plumb, but he loves you and he's concerned about you and I think this was good for us to talk and get to comfortable with each other." Hallie said in one breath.

"Ok."

"You sure you're not mad?"

"Nope." he said. "I was just...worried. That's all. Ya' don't know Merle, 'specially if he's been drinkin'."

"I'm fine. It's all teasing."

"Not always."

"Daryl, don't you trust your own brother?"

"No." he said quietly. "Let's just leave it at that."

"Ok." she said. She put her palm against his cheek, rubbing he thumb over his jaw. "Do you trust me?"

Daryl looked at her and nodded his head.

 

Daryl woke the next morning and Hallie was gone. There was a note on the kitchen table explaining that she had gone to work and to call her when he got up and around. She'd gotten Kelly to drive her to the bar and picked up her car from there. He took a shower and warmed up a cup of coffee and phoned her at the office.  
Hallie told him she was the only one there now except for Chrissie, the new girl. Everyone else had called in or gone home sick. Apparently there was some kind of flu going around and lots of people had come down with it. It seemed to be everywhere. She told him to stay there all day and not go to work, which was academic because when he called in, he was told the same thing. No work today because everyone was sick and there weren't enough of the healthy guys to even put a crew together to get over to their job site. Daryl padded around Hallie's house and watched tv off and on. The news channels were abuzz with reports of the flu.

By mid-afternoon, the flu had turned into something bigger than just an outbreak of seasonal influenza. One broadcaster was interviewing people and a man came right up on the street and bit the shit out of him. People were panicking and doing stupid things. He called Hallie and she said that when she had gone out to pick up lunch, it was all people could talk about, that hysteria was ramping up and people were just crazy. She was going to stay until five and then pick up some dinner and come home.

By the time dark rolled around, Hallie was not home. Daryl was beside himself. He called her but kept getting a recording that all circuits were busy, please try later. The tv news was showing frightening scenes. This was no flu. People had lost their damn minds, he thought. There were scattered reports of people attacking others, violently. The government had made statements for people to remain calm and remain indoors but it was too late. News broadcasts showed the same thing happening all over, not just in the Atlanta area, not just in the U.S. People everywhere had been affected, people were dying and there were reports of terrible, strange things. Unbelievable things. Inhuman things.

 

Chapter 13

Hallie and Chrissie stayed glued to the television in the office until it was nearly four in the afternoon. Like clockwork, Phil, their regular Fed Ex guy walked in and promptly collapsed in the middle of the foyer. They tried to call 9-1-1- but the phone just kept going to a recording saying that all operators were busy, please try again. Phil had a high fever, was sweating profusely and was bleeding from a gash on his leg that looked a lot like somebody had just shredded his flesh. He was having difficulty breathing and was barely conscious within a matter of minutes. Within a few more, he had stopped breathing altogether. He was dead. Just like that.

Chrissie cried and grabbed Hallie's arm and asked what their next move was. Hallie had to admit that she had no idea. She was beginning to realize that there was something very wrong. This flu epidemic, the violence, the chaos that was on the news, it was all connected. Cause and effect. Something terrible. Catastrophic. She had to get home. She had to find Daryl.

She locked up the front door and covered Phil with a blanket from the first aid kit. His body was looking weird already-turning a ghastly shade of gray, the wound on his leg continued to bleed and grow larger. It gave her the creeps just looking at it. Grabbing Chrissie, she pushed her to their desks and told her they were getting the hell out of there, it was time to leave. They'd deal with Phil later after things calmed down. Tomorrow maybe. Lord knows he wasn't going anywhere.  
Hallie gathered her purse and a sweatshirt that she had hanging on the back of her chair and went to find Chrissie. She had returned to the foyer for her cell phone, which she'd left on the counter while they were trying to call an ambulance for Phil. She heard Chrissie screaming bloody murder and heard a loud bumping, scraping sound. She rounded the corner, just in time to see Phil , now risen from the dead, bite into Chrissie's forearm, taking a chunk and causing her to scream more as blood began to run down her fingers and on to the floor.

Hallie grabbed a wooden chair as Phil turned and looked at her. He began to move in her direction, his gait wobbly and unsteady, like a baby walking for the first time. He was making a low growling sound and his hands were stretched out to try to grab her as soon as she was in range. She raised the chair and hit him, knocking him backwards into a file cabinet. He laid there for a second and then started to get up again. At that point, she grabbed Chrissie and hauled her into the kitchenette and locked the door behind them.

Chrissie continued to scream while Hallie ran her arm under water and treated her with the measly contents of the small first aid kit they kept above the sink. Finally, Chrissie calmed down and Hallie was able to convince her that they'd be alright, as soon as Phil left, they'd run to the car and get Chrissie to a hospital. Phil, apparently, wasn't on board with the plan. The whole time Hallie was trying to tend to Chrissie's bleeding arm, he bumped and hit the wooden door between the kitchen and office. The growling animal sounds he was making were even more unnerving than hearing his fingernails scratch on the wood as he clawed and pushed and rattled the door.

Hallie had a hard time getting the bleeding to stop, so she made Chrissie lay down on the floor. She began crying softly, repeating that she was going to die. Hallie wasn't sure if she was right or wrong, at that point. The poor thing had lost so much blood and was becoming weaker with each passing minute.

 

"FUCK!" Daryl said, slamming down the phone after another unsuccessful attempt to reach Hallie on her cell. He tried to call Merle, but there was no answer. He was torn as to whether to get in his truck and drive to her work and get her or to stay put knowing that the first place she'd head would be there. His first instinct was to jump in the truck but he knew that chances are he'd miss her and then she'd be home and he wouldn't and the situation would just get fucked up even more. It was driving him crazy not being able to hear her voice or know that she was safe.

By eight that night, Daryl was totally insane with worry. He still couldn't reach Merle. He left Hallie a detailed note at the house and took off towards her office in his truck. The note instructed her to stay put, that he was on his way to her office to find her, what route he was planning to take and to pack food, clothes, everything she could think of and have everything ready, they would be leaving for the cabin as soon as he returned.

The streets were crowded with people, cars packed full, heading out of town. People were driving like madmen and he witnessed more than a few accidents, some of them serious. It took him three hours to drive the normally minutes-long trip to her workplace. To say that Daryl was a madman himself was an understatement.

 

Chrissie was having difficulty breathing and Hallie still couldn't get through by phone. Phil was still outside the door. He'd quit banging and scratching the door for a while and they could hear him bumping into things and knocking stuff over in the outer office, but he'd always return to pound and scrape and thump on the door. It made it hard for Hallie to concentrate on the more immediate matter, Chrissie's rapidly-deteriorating state. Her wound was ugly now, oozing, raw, the flesh turning a sickening black around the bite, the impression of Phil's teeth so clear on her skin at first and now, a gaping black hole. Hallie was trying to stay focused but in the back of her mind, she was comparing Chrissie to Phil now and she knew that if Chrissie didn't make it, she shuddered and forced the thoughts out of her mind.

She continued to wipe Chrissie's now burning-hot forehead with a wet hand-towel and tried to get her to drink some cool water. Still bleeding, aspirin for the fever would be disastrous. She looked at her watch, it was almost six. She wondered if Daryl had tried to call, she knew that he probably had, and she desperately needed to hear his voice now.

Chrissie's eyes rolled back in her head and she made a quiet gurgling sound in the back of her throat. Hallie shook her lightly and Chrissie's pupils reappeared briefly, looking glassy and red.

"Hallie. I'm not going to make it." she said in a whisper.

"Stop being a drama queen, you are too. When the phones go back up, we'll get you to the hospital and get you stitched up. You're going to be fine."

"No. I know I'm not. I'm so cold and my head hurts like crazy." Chrissie closed her eyes again. "I just want...to go to...sleep."

"CHRISSIE. Walk up. No sleeping! Wake up now!" Hallie said loudly, shaking her harder.

Chrissie didn't wake up. Hallie held her softly and rocked her back and forth. She hadn't worked there very long and Hallie didn't know her all that well, but she was a nice girl and she didn't deserve to die like this. Locked in a kitchen with a crazy man outside, bleeding to death with god-knows-what. Hallie started sobbing briefly until a cold chill ran through her. She laid Chrissie down gently and then moved to the other side of the room. She needed to think. To take stock of the situation. To be prepared in case what happened to Phil happened to Chrissie. She looked around the room. Wooden table with four chairs. Microwave on cabinet. Refrigerator. First aid kit. No weapons, nothing bigger than a paring knife in the utensil drawer.

Hallie looked at the table once more and crawled underneath on her hands and knees, eyeing the legs. they were thick, heavy oak spindles, screwed on with two large thumb-screws each. Easy to detach. Solid enough to do some damage. She flipped the table over and started working on the screws. They were tight, but with the leverage of a butter knife from the drawer, she was able to get two of them off. Solid oak, three foot long, bigger than a baseball bat in some places. Gotta love that Amish craftsmanship, she thought, too scared to giggle at her own sick humor.

Hallie was working on the third leg when Chrissie's hand twitched. Naw, I'm seeing things Hallie thought. She's not going to turn into...twitch...Phil...twitch...eyes open. Hallie reached to her side and scooted back a bit, further away from Chrissie's now grey-body. Chrissie's body continued to move slightly, tremors, twitches, eyes blinking. It turned it's head towards her and opened it's mouth, making slow chewing motions. Fuck me, Hallie thought. What the hell is happening? What is going on? People are biting each other and dying and then coming back to life? Really? Night of the Living Dead shit? It was too incredible to believe.

The thing that was Chrissie was now trying to sit up. It had rolled over closer to Hallie and had it's nose in the air, like a dog with a scent trail in the wind. It looked at Hallie and it's milky eyes focused on her, somewhere inside realizing that she was the source of the scent. It pushed itself forward and tried to stand as Hallie rose, a table leg now in her hand. As the creature lunged forward with a sound that made Hallie shudder, Hallie swung at the creature, holding the table leg like a baseball bat. Oak connected with bone in a sickening sound as part of the skill caved in and the creature dropped, it's mouth still moving, chewing and biting at air. Hallie closed here eyes and mouthed the words "I'm sorry Chrissie." She raised the bat and struck three more blows, shattering the skull and rendering the thing now truly lifeless. She sat down in one of the chairs she'd pushed to the side and started sobbing. Behind her, Phil had started his bumping on the door again, hearing the commotion and, no doubt, smelling the blood. Hallie sobbed for a few minutes and then stopped. "Coming, Phil." she called, determined to get the hell out of there one way or another.

Daryl was chain-smoking by the time he reached Hallie's office. He double-parked in the street and threw open the truck door, grabbing his rifle from the gun rack in the back. He was quickly approached by a man stumbling, trying to reach for him. He leveled the gun and fired as the man continued to come towards him, ignoring his warnings. In the streetlight, Daryl could see the man's face, his neck half-torn open, bleeding. He looked unearthly. The man fell back and then stood up, coming again. This time, Daryl aimed for the man's head. He went down and stayed down.

Daryl breathed a sigh and continued towards the office door. It was locked. He lifted the butt of the gun to the plate glass window and broke it with a loud crash. Climbing through, he found the place littered with papers, files, knocked-over furniture and blood. As he walked down the small hallway, he found the body of what used to apparently be a man in a blue delivery company uniform, his head caved in, laying in front of the half-open door. Daryl called for Hallie but there was no response.

Daryl walked cautiously into the tiny kitchen in the office building. There was blood spattered against one of the walls, the table was upside down, three of it's legs missing, and against one wall was the body of what appeared to be a woman, it's head bashed in in much the same way as the man outside. He looked around for a purse, a cell phone, anything to tell him that Hallie had been here and that this was her handiwork. He slowly made his way down the hall to the back door and checked the employee parking lot at the back of the building. It was empty. He was filled with a sense of overwhelming dread, knowing that if Hallie had been here, she was now out there. Alone.

 

Chapter 14

Hallie was appalled at the sight of the two-lane jam-packed with cars heading out of town. She'd never seen traffic this bad in her life. It seemed that everyone in Atlanta had the same idea - get out of town before you and the family gets sick. It became worse with every passing minute. The radio was filled with public service announcements, traffic reports and news breaks talking about the flu epidemic. Everyone knew that this was not the flu. The flu didn't kill people so fast. The flu didn't make people bite and scratch and try to attack each other. The flu didn't bring people back to life after they died. This was most certainly not the flu, Hallie thought. People were beginning to panic...and rightly so.

It was dark out tonight, no moon. Hallie sat in her car on the road in the bumper-to-bumper traffic, trying to reach Daryl. Kelly. Tracey. Anybody. All circuits busy still. It was almost midnight. She wondered what Daryl was doing. Was he looking for her? Dear God, no, I hope not, she thought. I need him to be home. I need him to throw open the door and run to the car and scoop me up and make me feel safe. Hallie needed those arms around her, to smell his scent, to feel him against her. She needed to feel protected.

She could hear people in cars in front and back and beside her. People passing, people pacing on the roadway while the others in the car inched slowly. Stopping. Inching. Stopping. People crying, arguing, shouting, praying. Pulling suitcases on wheels, kids in tow, all heading out of town to get away from the madness. She watched as the needle on her gas gage continued to drop little by little. She had started out with nearly half a tank but now, it was less than 1/4. She new she had to get gas at the first place, but finding a place open and then getting to it and getting back on the road would be difficult.

At three-fifteen, Hallie had gone exactly 3 more miles. Her gas gauge was on empty and she knew it was time to leave the endless line of cars. She wasn't going anywhere anyway. If her luck held, she could walk home and be there in a few hours. If her luck held. She stopped creeping up inch by inch until she could pull her car over to the shoulder and park. She gathered her purse, cell phone and two of the table-legs and left the car on foot, walking towards home. It was cold and the sweatshirt she'd grabbed at the office so many hours ago seemed like little insulation against the dampness of the Georgia night.

The third car she passed, the guy rolled down his window and asked if she wanted a ride. She declined and he started to open his door, telling her that she wasn't going to get far and demanding she get in. She held up the bat, glaring, and told him, "I said no. I meant it. Get back in your car or I'll use this and then I'll take your damn car myself. Your's won't be the first head I've caved in today." He looked at her and shook his head, cursing, but turning back to his car and getting in.  
She passed several cars where the drivers or passengers or both looked like they were sick. One, the driver was slumped over the wheel, probably dead. She wondered how long the line would have to wait until anybody noticed and moved the car to the side. He was only about four feet behind the car in front, so it may not be anytime soon. Hallie continued to walk, keeping to the sides, moving in and out of the shadows as much as possible. Trying to be invisible, unnoticed.

 

Merle spun out of the gravel driveway, cussing. Fuck this shit, he thought to himself. He knew where Daryl was. He knew why Daryl was there. What he didn't understand is why his limp-dick, piss-ant little brother didn't haul his happy little ass and hers back home so they could get the hell out of Dodge. Merle, in his infinite, alcohol-fueled wisdom decided to haul his own ass down there to the munchkin's place, throw them both in the truck and head for the safety of the woods, away from people, away from whatever-the-hell this flu was that people were so agog about. He figured it'd take a couple weeks for things to die down and they could come back then. He'd been packing all night, the back of the truck was full and now he'd about reached his own limit on PBR for driving safely, so he was heading out.

Merle drove towards town with little difficulty, save almost dozing off a couple times. It was real late, almost dawn. He could see the traffic jam and the line of cars coming out of the city. He decided to take the country roads to avoid the tie-up and rolled into Hallie's place about an hour after daybreak. He wasn't too happy to find neither one of them there. He popped the lock on her back door with little effort and sauntered inside, finding Daryl's note to her on the kitchen table. Well, ain't that jes' too fuckin' sweet. Dumb Ass has the right idea, he thought after reading it. Stay put n' then we get gone. Merle looked around Hallie's place and scoffed at the antiques. Looks like a fucking museum, he thought to himself. He took one look at the bed and laughed out loud thinking about the fun he imagined Daryl must have had in it. He drank another beer from Hallie's refrigerator and stretched out on the couch to wait for one or both of them to arrive.

 

Daryl inched his way back along the route, until finally his temper reached the boiling point and he pulled out, into the shoulder, and started passing cars. People were furious, honking and giving him the finger, shouting at him, but he didn't care. He had to get the hell down the road, he had to find Hallie. He was sure she'd be in her car. It wasn't until daybreak that he came upon her car on the shoulder, abandoned. His heart stopped. He looked inside. No blood, nothing to indicate anything wrong. The hood was cold. She'd been gone a while. Out of gas, she had to be out of gas, that was all. Shit, he thought to himself. Either she's with somebody else or she's walking. Fuck fuck fuck. It's not safe to be walking out here alone. His mind raced. There were cars standing still, the line stretching as far as the eye could see, leading away from the city.

Daryl walked up to a couple cars sitting in the endless line and asked their occupants if they'd seen the car leave the road or if they'd seen the lady leave the car. No one had seen her. He walked back to the car and kicked the driver's side door with his foot, leaving a huge dent. Damn it, he thought. She's out there alone. She's fucking alone and I can't protect her.

Daryl got back in his truck and pushed the car gently off the road even more, making way for his truck to pass. He continued up the shoulder to the bridge, where he put on his desperate hat and asked an elderly couple to let him in front of them until they could cross the bridge and he could get off to the shoulder again. "It's my wife, see, she's pregnant and she was on her way home from the doctor's office and she's not back yet and I'm worried sick. We got another little one at home and I don't know what I'm going to do if anything's happened to her. Please, can you let me cut in until I can get off the bridge and get going again? Thanks a lot, Mister." he pleaded. Daryl was originally going to walk up to their car, tell them they were going to let him in and that would be it, but as soon as the old man rolled down the window, he could see that the old lady with him was sick, so he decided not to be a jerk and force the issue.

He sped off after spending over an hour waiting to cross the bridge and as soon as he could, he raced to the shoulder to continue his trip back towards her house. It was after seven now. Daryl was out of cigarettes and the cuticle around his thumbnails was nearly bleeding he'd been biting them so much.

 

Hallie was tired, her feet hurt and had blisters. She was hungry as hell, too. She sat down on a log, out of sight of any of the cars on the highway and opened a bottle of water than a woman had given her as she walked past. She took small sips, despite her thirst. The sun was up now and the situation was getting desperate. More and more cars she passed held people who were outright sick.

She'd seen one guy on foot weaving in and out of the line, bumping into cars, sticking his head in only to be met with screams. The closer he came towards her, the clearer she could see him and the more frightened she became. He obviously had whatever had taken down Phil and Chrissie. His skin was a deathly, sickening gray color and there was a huge gash on his upper arm where the skin had been torn off, exposing muscle and bone. The screams were caused by him as he would find someone in their car and bite them, tearing out their throat, taking chunks out of their arms or whatever flesh exposed from a rolled-down window. For this guy, the line of nearly-parked cars must have been like a smorgasbord.

Hallie moved deeper into the woods when he got near, making herself small and invisible. She watched as he passed and stopped, his head lifting, faintly detecting her scent, then moving on, as if he was an animal catching a fleeting whiff of another on the wind. When she was sure he'd passed and could no longer see him, she continued, staying in the woods, stopping, listening for any signs of anyone approaching on foot, living or dead, animal or otherwise.

It was almost eight in the morning now. The sun was up and the line of cars on the highway was endless, but Hallie's pace quickened with every step. She had to be extra cautious now, there were much more people about, walking. Walking was a loose use of the term, they were more careening, wandering, milling about. All of them now were like Phil and Chrissie. They'd been bitten and now they'd come back to bit others. What the fuck was this, Hallie thought. It was not possible. People don't do this. Nothing she'd every heard of would make people die and then come back as cannibals. It was just not possible in her realm of thinking, no matter how she tried to explain it.

She cut through a small park, walking quietly so as not to gain the attention of an elderly man wandering on the corner. A dog came up to him, tail wagging and the man bent down and grabbed the dog, tearing a chunk out of it's side. Hallie started running when she saw the sight, running towards her house. It was three blocks and there were two of those dead people between her and home. She hid behind a car as one of them passed and then quietly walked up the street. It turned when she kicked a rock with her foot. It was coming after her. She turned, noting the location of the other one a block further, and when it was in range, she swung, the bat making contact with skull. It dropped and she continued on up the street.

She could see her house now. There was a beat-up truck parked in front. It wasn't Daryl's truck. Who the hell? Looters? She saw the rebel flag as she got closer. Had to be. Merle. The other walking thing came towards her fast, it's pace quickening. She picked up her speed and met it in the middle of the street. "Motherfucker, come on!" she hissed as the man charged her, his teeth snapping. She could see that he'd been bitten on the face, the flesh still oozing and ugly. His clothes were soaked with blood. His eyes were milky like he'd had cataracts a long time. She recognized him as a guy who lived down the block. Hallie shuddered as she laid into his head with a sickening crack of the table leg, wondering what had happened to the rest of his family. He fell to the ground with a sick thud, his head hitting the curb and splitting open.

She sprinted as best she could up the block to her house and up on the porch, banging on the door, not even thinking about the key. The door flew open with a fury as Merle stepped out as Hallie started to rush in. She bounced off him and Hallie almost flew backwards if Merle hadn't reached out and grabbed her with both arms, pulling her toward his chest, crushing her in a big bear hug.

He drug her backwards into the house quickly and slammed the door shut, bolting it and turning her around. "Fuck, Girlie, where tha' hell ya' been?" he roared, his big hands on her shoulders.

"I couldn't get home, the cars, there were people, those things biting..." she started to well up. "Where's Daryl?" Hallie shrieked. "Where the fuck is Daryl?"

"Fuck if I know. Note said he's lookin' fer yer' ass." Merle let loose of her and rubbed the back of his neck. They were so alike, even in their gestures, Hallie thought. "He'll be back real soon 'n then we'n get tha' hell outta' here."

"HE DID WHAT?"

"He's lookin' fer' YOU!" Merle yelled back. "Left tha' note 'n yer' table there 'n tha' kitchen. I's you, I'd stop whinin' 'n start packin'. We're gettin' tha' hell outta here n' headin' ta the cabin fer' a spell 'til everythin' calms tha' fuck down. Now ya' gonna' stand there 'r get busy? The Dixon Country Vacation Bus ain't gonna' wait once tha' dumb s.o.b. gets here."

"What?" Hallie said, not believing her ears. "Lemme get this straight. You broke into my house to wait for Daryl who's out looking for me and when he gets back, we're all leaving and going to your cabin in the woods to wait out this whatever-the-fuck-this-is?"

"Yeahpurtymuch." he said in one word, scratching his belly. "Now get yer' fanny in there 'n start packin' so 's we can leave when that peckerhead of a boyfriend of' yers 'gets back. I ain't waitin' on' ya."

"Fuck, I need a drink." Hallie shook her head. "I don't care if it's nine in the morning or not."

"Well, little lady, ya' know what they say. It's five o'clock somewhere."

 

Chapter 15

Hallie leaned against the kitchen counter and took a long drink of Jack Daniels. Merle tromped into the kitchen, looking at her, his lips curled into an evil smile, eyes narrowed. She stopped, swallowed with a wince, and took another long drink before handing him the bottle.

"What all do you want me to pack?"

"Food. Supplies. Weapons. Ya' got any weapons, Sugar?" he growled, the bourbon making his throat scratchy. He looked down, between her legs.

"A .410, a 9 mm. and fairly sharp broadsword. That's about it."

Merle looked back up at her and set the bottle down on the counter. ""Scuse me?"

"That's it, that's all I have. Sorry, I wasn't expecting the world to fuckin' go to hell in an handbasket overnight. "

" Fuck, no, tha' other. You gotta' WHUT?" he said, rubbing his temple.

"A .410 and a Glock 19. I don't want you messing with my basket-hilt. It's an antique."

"Well, that shotgun of yer's ain't good fer' much but squirrels 'n rabbits, but what tha' fuck r' ya' doin' with a Glock? Ya' even know how ta' load it?"

"Fuck you, Cracker." she hissed. "Want me to show you how it's loaded?"

"I bet ya' don't even know how ta' take it outta' tha' holster."

"What fuckin' holster?" she said, her eyes narrowed. "It stays under my pillow. Just remember that."

"Show me." he grinned a lecherous grin. "Lemme' see it under yer' pillow in yer' big fluffy bed there. Lemme see it." his voice oozing the filth he was thinking.

"Go to hell."

"You ain't got one. Yer' lyin."

"Merle, I don't have to prove anything to you. You remember that, too." she said, grabbing the bottle and downing another gulp. "You may be Daryl's brother, but you try anything and I won't hesitate. Do...not...test...me."

Merle leaned towards Hallie with a look that made her uncomfortable as hell. It was menacing, his blue eyes dark, lips pursed. "An' just you remember this, bitch." he said, his finger now pointing in her face. "Ya' may be fuckin' mah' lil' brother, but yer' just another slit ta' me. Anything happens ta' him an' I'll do what I fuckin' want wi' ya'." He looked her up and down and licked his lips. "An' ya' won't be able ta' pull out yer' 9 mil'meter fast 'nough neither."

Hallie looked at him and willed herself not to flinch or blink. ""Goes both ways, Merle. Anything happens to Daryl, you won't get a shot off... or anything else. Count on it."

 

Daryl stomped his foot down on the gas pedal and peeled off the two-lane highway, his heart racing. There was nothing but city streets between him and her. City streets and people milling around, looking like death warmed over. He slowed down at the first intersection for a woman standing in the middle of the road in a pair of over-stretched stretch pants and a long button-up floral-printed shirt. She had a bouffant, obviously-dyed hairdo but when she turned around, half of the side of her hair was hanging down, flopping around a gaping wound on her neck, blood soaking her hair and clothing. Daryl tried to maneuver the truck around her, but she waddled fast towards his open window and reached out her bloody hands to him, barely missing his arm that was laying on the frame. "Fuck off, Maxine Fortenberry." he said as he opened the door quickly and pushed her to the pavement, rolling her twice. He had always wanted to do that. Now that he'd had the chance, it wasn't much fun, he thought to himself. 'Specially if she's already dead. He supposed she was already dead. He ASSUMED she was already dead. Truth is, nobody at this point in the epidemic knew much of anything, except that this was not the flu as the government was insisting.

Daryl rounded a corner and came upon a woman and a small toddler. The toddler was bloody, laying on the grassy boulevard, the woman's face twisted, hovering over the child. 

"Please help me." she said as he slowed down. "We've both been bitten. My husband. My husband's gone mad." she pleaded. Daryl closed his eyes and gunned the truck, knowing there was no help for them.

He drove for a couple more blocks, when a flash from the side caught his eye. Daryl turned in time to see a red Volvo careening from the cross-street, not stopping at the sign, crashing into his rear quarter panel. Daryl was thrown sideways and hit the door with his left hip and shoulder, his neck jerking to the right as the two vehicles collided with a loud bang. The man in the other car was slumped over the steering wheel, blood pouring from his forehead where he'd hit upon impact.

Daryl opened the door and hesitated. Grabbing an axe he kept behind the seat, he cautiously climbed down and walked around the truck to the other side. The radiator of the car was steaming and the man in the front seat was very much dead. The passenger, however, was not. It was a teenage boy, taller than Daryl. Rather, it had been a teenage boy. Now, it was a tangle of gawky limbs, arms and legs, coming at him at almost a run, its mouth making a chomping motion, a horrible, inhuman cry coming from within.

"What tha' FUCK?" Daryl shouted as the creature continued to run to him. As it was almost upon him, Daryl took two steps to the side and turned, lifting the axe.   
"Sorry, buddy. Not gonna' be yer' breakfast today." he said as he brought the axe down on the boy's neck, almost severing the head. "Fuck shit." Daryl said, turning away as it dropped to the ground. He put his hands on his knees and bent over, trying not to wretch. "What tha' hell 's goin' ON 'round here?" he said out loud.

Daryl climbed back in the truck and tried to pull away. The two vehicles shuddered and moaned a chorus of scraping, metallic noises and after a few feet, the Volvo disengaged. Daryl separated the two and sped up.

"Beam me up, Scottie." he said to himself as he gunned the engine and turned another corner, that much closer to Hallie.

 

Merle and Hallie glared at each other until the deafening silence between them was broken by a loud horn and the sound of tires. They both ran to the door to find Daryl's truck in the drive and him running up on the porch. He flung the door open and grabbed Hallie, pulling her to him like a madman. He squeezed her arms up and down and ran his hands up and down her back. "Are you ok?" he said, pushing her to arm's length to inspect her. "Are you hurt? Did you get bit? " he said breathlessly.

"I'm ok." she barely got out before he pressed his lips hard on hers, a kiss that conveyed not only his sheer terror that they had been apart but his utter relief to find her here, safe and unharmed.

"JEE-zus Christ, she's fine." Merle spat, as he turned back to the kitchen and the bottle of Jack. "Jes' go fuck her 'n get it over with so's we'n get tha' hell outta' here."

Hallie and Daryl didn't hear him. They were locked together, her legs now wrapped around his waist, his arms holding her tightly around her back. Hallie was almost crying, their foreheads pressed against each other. She closed her eyes and fought back the tears of joy. Daryl's eyes were closed as well, as he ran one hand through her hair, the other holding her against him. They stood that way for a few minutes until Hallie opened her eyes and looked at Daryl.

"Baby. Merle says we're going to the cabin. "

"Yeah. We need ta' get outta' here. Ain't safe no more. Think' it's only gonna' get worse. I been seein' more an' more people sick. Doin' crazy stuff. Eatin' each other. I ain't never seen nothin' like it. Merle's right. We gotta' get out while we can."

"The three of us?"

Daryl knew what she was getting at.

"It'll be ok. 'S not permanent. Just 'til this all blows over. I promise, ya'll be fine. I'll be there."

"Ok. Daryl, I know he's your brother but if he pulls any shit..." she warned.

"He won't. I'll make sure of it. If he does, I'll deal with it."

 

Hallie and Daryl worked for a couple hours, going through the house for food, clothing, camping equipment, tools, anything that might be useful. They loaded the back of Daryl's truck and covered everything with a tarp, securing it.

"I need a shower." Hallie said. "I stink like a pig."

"Oughta' take one now. May not get a hot one fer' a few days." Daryl said. "Besides. Bacon's Merle's favorite thing ta' eat." He made little grunting, oinking noises at her and grinned. "Mine too."

"Well in that case, let me wash this stink off quick as I can." she rolled her eyes.

Hallie gathered up a change of clothes and walked into the bathroom, locking the doors behind her. She wouldn't have bothered even closing the door had Merle not been there. Now she made sure that they were both securely locked.

She turned on the hot water and let it run until it was steamy. Stepping in, she stood, head down, under the spray and let her thoughts go to the last few hours. She replayed the events of the day before - Phil, Chrissie, the drive, the walk, everything. It seemed like a bad Sci-Fi channel movie, unrealistic and unbelievable. Hallie let the water soak her, running down her face, her cheeks and nose like a river. She didn't hear the click of the bathroom door lock being popped with a pocketknife. She wasn't aware of the bathroom door opening slowly or the rush of cool air as he stepped inside. She was deep in thought, trying to process what she'd witnessed in the last 24 hours. Trying make sense of it all.

Daryl slipped out of his clothes as quietly as he could and pulled the shower curtain aside slowly, gently, until he could see her. Through the steam and spray he could see Hallie, her back to him, water running over her small frame, straightening her hair down her back to the crack of her ass. Her skin was pale, creamy and the water made her hair a dark brown-black. His eyes wandered down her back to her ass, small, curvy, perfect for holding on to. He'd never had her in the shower before. He'd never had anyone in a shower before.

He whispered "Hal." as he pulled the curtain back further and stepped into the shower, hoping not to startle her. His hands moved unconsciously to her ass. She turned her head to look at him and smiled.

"I knew you were there. I could feel you looking at me." she said quietly.

"I like looking at ya'." he said, his hands moving from her ass around the front and up, circling her waist, pulling her back against him. "'Specially when yer' naked."

Hallie turned around in his arms and faced him, her mouth kissing his chest, the water running between them in rivers. "Mmmm." she said softly. "I like when you're naked too. Makes things less...complicated." She dropped her hand to his thigh and began to rub, moving slowly inwards.

Daryl put his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her head backwards, his lips on her neck, kissing, nibbling. He ran his tongue from Hallie's earlobe to the base of her neck, the water tasting warm, clean, mixing with her scent. He stopped briefly and sucked in air when she touched him. He was hard already before she began stroking him softly, cupping him, her fingers dancing lightly on his hot skin. "Damn, woman. Don' do that. 'Bout ready as it is."

"Then what are you waiting for?" she whispered into the side of his head, as his kisses moved slowly down her neck to her breasts, slick with water. He cupped one, massaging it with the palm of his hand while he planted his mouth over the other, his tongue flicking over her nipple, darting, teasing, nipping lightly, drawing it out between his teeth gently the returning over and over as her breathing quickened each time he began again.

His hand moved between her legs and parted the soft flesh. Even with the water from the shower, as Daryl moved his fingers slowly, carefully circling, then slipping inside, he could tell she was ready for him. He withdrew his fingers as she whined in protest and moved both hands to hold her hips. Daryl lifted Hallie up and pushed her against the tile wall as she put both hands around his neck and locked her ankles behind his hips. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from the spray of water. His fingers now pressed into her, bruising her soft flesh, entering her slowly, lingeringly, as she clung to him, moaning softly as he inched his way inside.

"I was so worried about you." she whispered into his neck, her eyes closed. "I thought I'd lost you. I was so scared."

"Look at me." he said, his voice deep, commanding. "Hallie look at me."

She opened her eyes and looked into his, the blue now deep, electric. He was staring into her dark green eyes with a determined look. Unyielding, unwavering.

"Never." he said in a rough voice, his breaths raspy. He had stopped moving and had her pinned to the wall. "You will...never...lose me." he said between breaths. He started moving again, slowly, grinding his hips as he pushed into her as far as he could go. "I'm...gonna'...do...this...forever." he said, his thrusts coming quicker.

Hallie was making a small whining sound as she clenched her knees and raised her hips rhythmically to meet him, the force of their motion driving her into the tile wall, making a slapping sound. Daryl put on of his hands behind her to muffle the sound and drove faster, harder. He held his breath as he felt his orgasm drawing near and suddenly became motionless has he felt Hallie tighten around him. She was as ready as he was. He withdrew almost all the way and then pressed deep once more, feeling her spasm hard. Again he withdrew and entered again, fast and hard. Hallie's head rolled back as she shrieked his name as she shuddered and bucked against him.

""I love you. Hallie I love you." Daryl said as he reached the edge.

"I love you too." Hallie said, panting, their foreheads together once more. "I've loved you since the night we met."

Daryl exploded inside her, still thrusting, his movements becoming more jerky and less controlled. His knees were so weak they almost buckled. When he was finally able to stop, he slid down the wall, sitting down on the floor of the shower stall with Hallie still in his lap. They stayed that way until the water started to become cool, holding each other, rocking gently, whispering. Hallie and Daryl both knew that once they left their safe, wet haven things would be different. The world would be dramatically different. Dangerous. Yet despite the now-chilly water, neither of them were willing to move, neither wanted this moment to end.


End file.
